$500,000 Jury Verdict Highlights Insurance Agent Liability for Coverage Failures

Towson, MD — A recent jury award of $500,000 in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court underscores the serious consequences of insurance agent malpractice and the importance of ensuring that auto insurance policies are properly structured to protect clients—especially when policyholders are self-employed or operating under business coverage. The case involved a pedestrian, Jeffrey Beahm, who…

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Pennsylvania AG Sues Mortgage Brokers for RESPA Kickback Scheme: What Homebuyers and Whistleblowers Need to Know

Published by Smith Gildea & Schmidt | April 21, 2025 Alleged Kickbacks Violated RESPA and Inflated Borrower Costs Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry has filed a lawsuit against Barry Newhart and six Lehigh Valley mortgage broker companies for allegedly orchestrating an illegal kickback scheme in violation of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). The…

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Eric R. Harlan

Eric R. Harlan joined Smith, Gildea & Schmidt in 2022 and comes to the firm with nearly 30 years of trial and appellate experience, having tried jury cases to verdict in state and federal courts, and argued appeals before the Fourth Circuit and the Appellate Court of Maryland.  As a trial lawyer Eric has achieved…

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Real Estate and Business Transactions

The services provided by Smith, Gildea & Schmidt’s Real Estate & Business Transaction team accurately juxtapose a well-rounded realm of knowledge in each area of practice and a vast breadth of experience. Our attorneys’ skills have been instrumental in navigating through formations of LLC’s, corporations, and partnerships and facilitating and managing numerous residential, commercial and…

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Stephen J. Nolan

Steve Nolan is an accomplished trial lawyer, who concentrates his practice primarily in the areas of business litigation, catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death actions, and trusts and estates litigation in State and Federal Courts. In November 2018, he became Of counsel to SGS. For over 30 years, he has been recognized by The Bar…

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Pay Bill

Online Bill Pay Portal You can now use a credit card to make an online payment for payments towards your retainer or an existing invoice. Please click on the applicable button below and you will be taken to our secure payment portal. Recommended Browsers: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Apple Safari or Mozilla Firefox. Clients making payments…

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Smith, Gildea & Schmidt Partner Michael DeHaven Named Super Lawyer

Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.Super Lawyers Magazine features the list and profiles of selected attorneys and is distributed to attorneys in the state…

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Two Balto. Co. school board members share their vision

A hybrid school board on the horizon. Digital devices for all students. The proposal for a new elementary school at the site of Bykota Senior Center. With the start of a new school year, the Baltimore County Board of Education faces new challenges. Board members don’t ordinarily speak individually and it is President David Uhlfelder…

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