[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6649806,"mediaKeyId","2512863-b9e2d019404dacfa15f8c49318dec38d","parentId",2512863,"title","House Judiciary hears competing views on lowering Maryland’s punitive‑damages standard","audioSeconds",1831,"startMs",4755000,"endMs",6586000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2512863-b9e2d019404dacfa15f8c49318dec38d&start=4755&end=6586","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2512863-b9e2d019404dacfa15f8c49318dec38d/thumbnail_4755000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6649806/Maryland/House-Judiciary-hears-competing-views-on-lowering-Marylands-punitivedamages-standard","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6649806-795a054fbf0cb734075521643d84ac32/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194507&Signature=mhq3e2zGXF80eFqmf7lBYLGHwAYbynbo5T0OrLNAp4Ffwvqu55Ptx8vleRVdxBUaNTSdtCbe5ZcoC0rGNfUaR7LPVWbwifWQKValqrpM9JDP8iOR0knCPs4zdQ2BT-ma97o8CnzwbxdeL1BqnuAF7MLqDJErsMF3uMAS31u0OuUDYxNA7Xbo7TgMEwznNR4JnCFdJrDc6DsoGCTHkekRdzoblNVCWLsW07wMVJwxJ3Q6riK~bYsoZlI0vheXDC2WDCjjugm6eyvCIIW87NMVIFCC3X4gPpXcqSGeyQH6Sb8SdT0lAxy5S-4aOPOiFIJ4TXKq8BbcTLpBgYWknOVROg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Maryland General Assembly - Judiciary","date","2025-03-06T01:51:50.027Z","article","The House Judiciary Committee heard extended testimony on House Bill 1099, a proposal to change Maryland’s punitive‑damages standard from the state’s current ‘‘actual malice’’ test to a gross‑negligence or reckless‑conduct standard and to consider mechanisms for the state to capture part of punitive awards.

Attorney and work‑group participant George Tolley told the committee that Maryland’s high current standard — adopted by the Court of Appeals in 1992 — requires proof of actual malice (ill will or intent to injure) and that most other states use broader tests, such as gross negligence or reckless disregard. Tolley said the bill is intended to align Maryland with other jurisdictions and to return a remedial tool in civil suits against corporations whose conduct is described as especially reprehensible.

Nut graf: Supporters framed the bill as restoring a civil penalty tool that holds corporations accountable for harmful conduct they say cannot be addressed by criminal law. Opponents — insurers, business coalitions and tort‑reform groups — warned that a lower standard would produce unpredictable “jackpot” verdicts, strain professional‑liability markets and prompt courts to impose caps or other changes later.

Witnesses for the change — including plaintiff‑attorney representatives and advocates — argued juries should be able to punish particularly reckless corporate conduct and pointed to data indicating punitive awards are rare but meaningful. Opponents such as the American Property Casualty Insurers Association, the American Tort Reform Association and business coalitions said the 1992 decision responded to an earlier surge in punitive awards and that a lower statutory standard would invite inflationary verdicts and destabilize insurance markets; they pointed to other states’ experiences and to mechanisms used there (such as caps) to contain awards.

The bill also contains a controversial provision discussed in committee: a surcharge or revenue share in which a portion of punitive awards would go to the state. Supporters noted some states tax punitive awards; critics said a surcharge would complicate jury instructions and post‑verdict judicial review and might be largely symbolic because punitive awards are often remitted or reduced on appeal.

Several lawmakers asked whether the change would increase liability premiums for health‑care providers and whether judicial review would limit extreme awards. Opponents pointed to judicial precedents cautioning that the lower standard had produced inconsistent results in the past and that Maryland’s current standard intentionally narrows availability to truly exceptional cases. Proponents noted many other states balance a broader standard with procedural safeguards, and urged careful drafting.

Ending: Committee members heard detailed fiscal and legal briefs and testimony from insurers, business groups, defense counsel and plaintiffs’ representatives. Several members indicated interest in technical narrowing language and in studying possible protections for ordinary negligence cases; the bill’s future will depend on follow‑up drafting and whether lawmakers want to revisit the 1992 court decision by statute.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","JUD Committee Session, 3/5/2025 #1","oneSentenceSummary","The House Judiciary Committee heard extended testimony on House Bill 1099, a proposal to change Maryland’s punitive‑damages standard from the state’s current ‘‘actual malice’’ test to a gross‑negligence or reckless‑conduct standard and to consider mechanisms for the state to capture part of punitive awards.","taxTitle","Judiciary Committee, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Maryland","taxId",15063,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6649796,"Experts and industry clash as committee examines sweeping PFAS consumer ban and expanded liability",2858,9067000,11925000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2512863-b9e2d019404dacfa15f8c49318dec38d&start=9067&end=11925","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2512863-b9e2d019404dacfa15f8c49318dec38d/thumbnail_9067000.jpg","/articles/6649796/Maryland/Experts-and-industry-clash-as-committee-examines-sweeping-PFAS-consumer-ban-and-expanded-liability","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6649796-5ae044bfe782200d7e67e55a15913d49/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194507&Signature=KqPzVuJKXJSRnKP6CXVTd8zjHmJ~nzKgtrNSKiqBXyzw6R~ouzKxzkamtXTmacP8gq~Rxp4YP-p3Bv3WV2rCBbO6ahTXPgq0zllGcBd69kGbAUcMFwUJj3yAe~ppFZkm7ByNpNbYZiFnzFy-z-MJoZzGhSePu8O17ltuyYZ6zc2bTdG~EA3mtBepTyZI82Hc3tR-8ARWIE-iJs0iEexyU5JUmVWyaS5WgWyr0KDne95Dfh~r9dI~BUygwFeLrfp1oxO-2YgsEe1M6oFeiQ6GP1y84v~vt2PXfiogENYB6sgITIRJm-Vi1DUclk5RVeSFyX-kNi5yXSu9Tnc4Q8g5rw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Judiciary Committee heard detailed, often technical testimony on House Bill 11‑12, a proposal to ban consumer products containing PFAS (a wide family of fluorinated chemistries often called \"forever chemicals\") and to expand civil liability and the statute of limitations for PFAS‑related injuries.

Supporters said PFAS are persistent in the environment and linked to cancers and other serious health outcomes and urged a broad, preventive ban on consumer goods while expanding the statute of limitations for wrongful‑death claims tied to long‑latency exposures. Delegate Kevin Hornberger, who presented the measure, described local contamination incidents and said existing statutes limit victims’ ability to seek redress given latency of harm.

Nut graf: The hearing pit two camps against each other. Public‑health and plaintiff‑side witnesses urged an expansive approach to remove PFAS from consumer products and to allow longer timeframes to sue because exposures often predate symptoms. Industry and user‑group witnesses argued the bill’s family‑wide ban was unworkable: PFAS comprises thousands of substances, many of which (for example, fluoropolymers used in medical devices and nonstick cookware) are chemically distinct and are not shown to bioaccumulate; they warned of supply‑chain disruption for aviation, medical devices, semiconductors and other sectors.

Cookware and medical‑device representatives underlined the difference between legacy, mobile PFAS contamination (AFFF firefighting foams) and high‑molecular‑weight fluoropolymers used in implantables and critical infrastructure. W. L. Gore (a major Maryland employer) described PTFE fluoropolymers made in Cecil County and said the bill as written would render their Maryland manufacturing unviable by the proposed compliance date. Industry witnesses urged a substance‑by‑substance approach and cited ongoing state and federal PFAS rulemaking.

Plaintiff‑side attorneys and public‑health witnesses said that because exposures may cause disease decades after manufacture, the bill’s proposed extension of the statute of limitations for wrongful‑death claims to 10 years from death (or three years from discovery) is necessary to provide a remedy for victims, especially where corporate conduct or inadequate warnings masked risk.

Ending: Lawmakers pressed both sides on definitional questions (how PFAS is defined), timelines and the feasibility of alternatives; several urged a narrower approach that would distinguish PFAS of concern from fluoropolymers used in medical and aerospace applications. The committee asked for technical follow‑up; industry groups offered to work with staff on narrower, risk‑based definitions and exemptions.","The House Judiciary Committee heard detailed, often technical testimony on House Bill 11‑12, a proposal to ban consumer products containing PFAS (a broad family of fluorinated chemistries often called \"forever chemicals\") and to expand civil liability and the statute of limitations for PFAS‑related injuries.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6649801,"Committee hears rights‑and‑accountability debate on Maryland bill targeting nonprofits tied to illegal West Bank settlements",1350,6625000,7975000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2512863-b9e2d019404dacfa15f8c49318dec38d&start=6625&end=7975","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2512863-b9e2d019404dacfa15f8c49318dec38d/thumbnail_6625000.jpg","/articles/6649801/Maryland/Committee-hears-rightsandaccountability-debate-on-Maryland-bill-targeting-nonprofits-tied-to-illegal-West-Bank-settlements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6649801-2c8508c94ff5ea9304b3e69f961d1ccf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194507&Signature=J-MOWSFWWj1zNSoI19lvX9ListEuD9biCod0x2PBUoidiAePcaxcgLlQ6puK~G1nOdJR7X9kqvarCcFDO-Hlsbb~F4~9HCO0iHsubESRrFddN4bWCwt~S3Rs6vJpqLnB1j9aZOc-RUZ4SnIQZjtOu6~h2icm1qf3a4VxMrRuerHJp2MA2DGGo-zAehpRPD32sDz7jixSzRMrdBz~1cVRAbGvNDwSiqqEK5f62xn8mvqPn3uT9Ydg3xVqQFUf6CMBoiThCPwX0OPOpGfRSGBVgR1W-zZ2pvVgEyJ1uciQhUU55InIx2A~1dT22MTZOCdTcNGUn~1rZOdYmtFucRitqw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A reintroduced bill, House Bill 13‑94, drew a crowded and often emotional hearing as the House Judiciary Committee considered a measure that would prohibit Maryland nonprofit organizations from knowingly engaging in or supporting certain activity tied to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Sponsor Delegate Gabriel Acevedo said the bill — described in testimony as the \"Not On Our Dime\" Act — would bar state nonprofit tax benefits for organizations that knowingly fund, facilitate or promote settlement expansion or auctioning of land taken from Palestinians and would allow Maryland’s attorney general and harmed individuals to seek injunctive relief and damages.

Nut graf: Supporters framed the bill as a human‑rights accountability measure intended to prevent Maryland nonprofits from funding conduct they and international bodies have described as contravening international humanitarian law. Opponents, including several Jewish communal leaders and advocates, said the measure was targeted at Jewish organizations and risked harming legitimate humanitarian or medical programs and interfaith cooperation.

Proponents included CAIR Maryland, student leaders from Maryland historically Black colleges and universities and local faith‑based gun‑violence prevention leaders who tied the broader theme of human rights and accountability to the state’s charitable sector. Yasmin Bridal, a Morgan State University student who testified about the Morgan State shooting earlier in the hearing, told lawmakers: \"We urge you all to favor our lives more than a dollar bill and or and, decide favorably on this bill.\" Advocates cited reporting of a 2024 private auction event in Baltimore that they said involved land tied to illegal settlements.

Opponents included leaders and representatives of large Jewish philanthropic organizations in Maryland, who warned the legislation would single out Israel, curtail humanitarian services and sow division. Bruce Beriano, a Jewish community leader, testified the bill was ‘‘despicable’’ and said the legislation would unfairly impact named local organizations. Other opponents argued the bill would be difficult to administer and could chill charitable engagement abroad.

Several lawmakers asked whether the bill imposed an appropriate legal standard for knowing conduct and whether it might unintentionally block medical, humanitarian or education services delivered to vulnerable people in contested territories. Delegate Acevedo and supporters said the measure targeted financial support for illegal settlement construction and land sales and emphasized the bill would be limited to activity the sponsor said violates international law as interpreted by the International Court of Justice and human‑rights bodies.

Ending: The committee heard multiple short in‑person statements from grassroots activists and community leaders on both sides. Lawmakers asked technical and constitutional questions and indicated they would continue to weigh the bill’s civil‑enforcement mechanisms against concerns about free expression, charitable practice and community relations.","A reintroduced bill, House Bill 13‑94, drew a crowded and often emotional hearing as the House Judiciary Committee considered a measure that would prohibit Maryland nonprofit organizations from knowingly engaging in or supporting certain activity tied to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6649811,"House committee hears broad testimony supporting ban on easily converted pistols in Maryland",1149,117000,1266000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2512863-b9e2d019404dacfa15f8c49318dec38d&start=117&end=1266","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2512863-b9e2d019404dacfa15f8c49318dec38d/thumbnail_117000.jpg","/articles/6649811/Maryland/House-committee-hears-broad-testimony-supporting-ban-on-easily-converted-pistols-in-Maryland","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6649811-2df2ef7225d4b4c61a642eecaed3e142/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194507&Signature=V6E9CzECkAWZLRDB1S~LL-vcO1gC0lR8KE~nGAY00p2369m10uq94anftcqxiLtiM3jxl2pcZGv8SPVA0pVf4BcAdIkE1iXqMJL1p~B9q3xHXoRQ-NUoZ8xya7~Xaml6VXurTuRWYRDdZgklYuVQn9~E5uFuD9yXLBmoOuolFffBCGq2-u~bVx8~pxc8DOKMBvUUPaz3-EHb3KYkXYlKBFo10DysIR0v4257XSjAiaXNjc1lCf2gnFDUbRbzjkgyQsyYBzeV~VW1asCX3IqsjCdTbIF7h3ELyVmE2MCyldN5ORpuQ~wffH7AEvBFj1ceafvFOeLHIBRMcIeQJiIzjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A House Judiciary Committee hearing in March 2025 drew extensive testimony in favor of House Bill 1287, which would ban the manufacture, sale and transfer in Maryland of “convertible pistols” — semi‑automatic handguns that can be turned into fully automatic weapons by attaching a small device commonly called a Glock switch.

Supporters said the devices are inexpensive, easily 3‑D printed and have been linked to recent shootings in Maryland. Delegate Nicole Williams of District 22, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee: \"This bill would prohibit a person from manufacturing, selling, offering for sale, purchasing, receiving, or transferring in Maryland a certain convertible pistol, which is a semi automatic pistol that has been converted into a machine gun solely by attaching a switch, that is a type of auto sear.\" She urged a favorable report.

Nut graf: Proponents — including Baltimore and Prince George’s County prosecutors, public‑safety officials, university students and advocacy groups — framed the bill as a targeted way to reduce access to illegal automatic fire without requiring owners who already legally possess affected pistols to abandon or turn them in. They said convertible pistols have been recovered with increasing frequency at crime scenes in Maryland and that the devices are already illegal but remain easy to obtain or fabricate.

Prince George’s County Deputy State’s Attorney Perry Paylor testified the county recovered 47 Glock switches in 2024 and nine year‑to‑date, and said such devices \"dramatically increas[e] the potential for both lethality and mass casualty.\" Baltimore City representatives said their department recovered roughly 100 convertible pistols between 2023 and 2024 and that recovered switches had nearly doubled from 34 to 64 from 2023 to 2024, as noted in written testimony presented to the committee.

Firearms analysts and industry critics described how the devices operate. Greg Lickenbrock, senior firearms analyst for Everytown for Gun Safety, told the committee Glock‑style trigger bars provide a surface that third‑party switches can contact to force continuous fire and said the devices \"cost as little as $20, are easily 3‑D printed and can be installed on the back of a Glock slide in seconds.\" Witnesses from Baltimore City government and the Baltimore Police Department described incidents they said illustrated the risks: a mass shooting at Morgan State University in October 2023 in which investigators reported the presence of a converted firearm, and a 2023 confrontation in which an individual fired more than 30 rounds with a converted pistol during a police encounter.

Opponents — including representatives of firearm owner groups and the National Rifle Association — said the bill’s language is ambiguous and risks being overbroad because many semi‑automatic pistols can, in theory, be modified to change rate of fire. Mark Panik (Maryland Shall Issue) argued the bill is \"sloppily written\" and could sweep in law‑abiding commerce and law enforcement replacement purchases. The NRA’s John Weber said conversion devices are already illegal at federal and state levels and that enforcement, rather than banning classes of pistols, should be the focus.

Committee context and next steps: Testimony included legal, technical and policy perspectives; several lawmakers asked about law‑enforcement and retired‑officer exceptions and amendments the sponsor said were under development. Witnesses representing Maryland local governments and prosecutors requested a favorable report; no committee vote was recorded during the hearing.

Ending: The committee received dozens of written and in‑person statements on both sides; some members pressed the sponsor for drafting clarifications and narrow exceptions for law enforcement and retired officers. The hearing record shows strong public‑safety arguments for the bill from prosecutors and city officials and persistent concerns about drafting and scope from gun‑rights groups. The committee may consider amendments clarifying which models and transfers are covered before any vote.","Supporters told the House Judiciary Committee that small devices known as \"Glock switches\" make some handguns easily convertible into fully automatic weapons and urged a favorable report on House Bill 1287; prosecutors and Baltimore and Prince George’s City officials described growing recoveries of conversion devices and incidents involving them.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

House Judiciary hears competing views on lowering Maryland’s punitive‑damages standard

Experts and industry clash as committee examines sweeping PFAS consumer ban and expanded liability

Committee hears rights‑and‑accountability debate on Maryland bill targeting nonprofits tied to illegal West Bank settlements

House committee hears broad testimony supporting ban on easily converted pistols in Maryland