On August 10, 2017, at the end of trial prosecuted by Jane Santoni on behalf of homeowners against a landscape/hardscape contractor, a Baltimore County jury found that Defendant Peter Ireland, Jr. of "PieScape" committed fraud, violated Maryland's Consumer Protection...
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Year: 2017
Maryland tenants file class action against Westminster Management to stop illegal fee collection practices
Two Maryland residents filed a class action lawsuit today, challenging Westminster Management, LLC’s alleged practice of charging its tenants excessive, illegal fees. The lawsuit contends that Westminster Management, LLC, JK2 Westminster, LLC, Dutch Village, LLC, and...
Class Action Certified Against Blue Ocean Realty, LLC
The attorneys of Santoni, Vocci & Ortega, LLC ("SVO") filed a proposed class action suit in Circuit Court for Baltimore City on December 1, 2016 alleging that Blue Ocean Realty, LLC, the property management company for numerous residential properties, violated...
Tenant files suit against Housing Authority of Baltimore for wrongful eviction and debt collection violations
Shermika Pittman, a Baltimore City resident, filed suit yesterday against the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) and two of its employees for debt collection violations and wrongful eviction alleging that the Housing Authority, as her landlord, filed a number...
Maryland Court of Appeals’ Decision is a Victory for Consumers
On Friday, March 24, 2017, the Maryland Court of Appeals, the highest court in Maryland, held that when a company files suit against a consumer in small claims court, the company cannot later force the consumer into arbitration if the consumer files a suit later...
SVO Supports Maryland’s SB1200 – The Internet Consumer Privacy Rights Act
The members of SVO sent the letter below to members of the Maryland Senate Finance Committee in support of the Internet Consumer Privacy Rights Act of 2017. Simply put, Maryland consumers' internet history should not be for sale. Dear Chair Middleton and Members of...
CFPB’s Report on Debt Collection
Yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a report on debt collection after conducting a survey among consumers. You can read the entire report here. We were surprised by the fact that more than half of consumers who reported being contacted about a...
Slip and Fall – Questions You May Be Asked
You are at a restaurant having a nice dinner with your family. You get up from the table to use the restroom and as you are walking, you suddenly slip and fall landing on your wrist. Besides being embarrassed, you are sure you have severely injured yourself. You may...