PETITIONS FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI
September Term, 2025
Granted January 6, 2026
Catherine Torney v. Towson University – Case No. 53, September Term, 2025
Issue –Torts – Did ACM err in its description and application of Maryland law regarding a landowner’s duty to protect an invitee from a shooting on the landowner’s property?
Board of Education for Wicomico County v. Rhonda B. Sturm – Case No. 54, September Term, 2025
Issues – Torts – 1) Is the denial of a motion to dismiss, filed on behalf of a school board based on the immunity afforded by Article VIII, § 3 of Maryland’s Constitution, immediately appealable under the collateral order doctrine? 2) Did the Child Victims Act of 2023 (“CVA”) revive claims for child sex abuse against boards of education where the alleged victim had no claim to be revived at the time of the alleged abuse because Article VIII, § 3 of Maryland’s Constitution barred the claim? 3) Did the CVA retroactively waive the constitutional immunity afforded to Maryland’s Boards of Education? 4) If the CVA retroactively waived the immunity afforded boards of education for incidents that occurred before July 1, 1971, was that waiver effective, since the General Assembly provided no mechanism for the payment of judgments where boards had no insurance before July 1, 1971 and the evidence below was that there is no insurance product currently in the marketplace for boards to purchase for incidents that happened before July 1, 1971?
Clennie Murphy, III, et al. v. Government Employees Insurance Company – Case No. 55, September Term, 2025
Issues – Insurance Law – 1) Should Costello v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, 143 Md.App. 403 (2002) be overruled because the case applies an insurance policy’s household exclusion to non-household wrongful death beneficiaries? 2) Is Costello applicable to this case since the GEICO policy at issue does not define “derivative claims” or “wrongful death”?
Denied/Dismissed January 28, 2026
The order denying or dismissing the petitions can be found here.
Atud v. Nantey – Pet. No. 297
Booker, Antonio v. State – Pet. No. 408
Bostick, Phillip K. v. State – Pet. No. 356
Brown, Jivon v. State – Pet. No. 360
Bryant, Delonte v. State – Pet. No. 373
Campbell, Deon Tyvon v. State – Pet. No. 361
DeBerry, Shaunesi Y. v. State – Pet. No. 357
DeBerry, Shaunesi Y. v. State – Pet. No. 412
Everngam-Price v. Price – Pet. No. 355
Garner v. Unifund CCR Partners – Pet. No. 353
Hainey v. Walgreens – Pet. No. 352
Hinton v. Correct RX Pharmacy – Pet. No. 327
Jefferson, Anthony Gerald v. State – Pet. No. 358
Kai v. Overduin – Pet. No. 372
Lainez-Garcia, Jeffrey v. State – Pet. No. 347
Matthias, Ryan Patrick v. State – Pet. No. 362
Md. Hemp Coalition v. Moore – Pet. No. 311
Medley, Troy v. State – Pet. No. 374
Murphy v. Ward – Pet. No. 375
Peters-Humes v. Theologou – Pet. No. 340
Powell v. Acton – Pet. No. 384
Quarles v. Brown, Savage, Britto, Stitely & Callahan – Pet. No. 383
Rosales v. Geico Casualty – Pet. No. 328
Sachs v. Loeffler – Pet. No. 367
Sarfo v. Addae – Pet. No. 366
Smith v. Buckingham – Pet. No. 350
Weddington, Robert C. v. State – Pet. No. 370
White, Craig D. v. State – Pet. No. 359
Yancey, Terrance Kenneth v. State – Pet. No. 390