Laurel, Maryland is the hometown of Clark and Steinhorn, LLC and as a consequence we see firsthand how choices of where lawsuits are filed can affect whether injured victims get compensation and if so how much.
Laurel is one of those peculiar municipalities that span multiple counties and some counties are historically better places to bring personal injury lawsuits than others.
When choosing a particular state court ( some cases can be brought in federal court too) see: https://www.maryland-law.com/library/where-to-file-your-maryland-car-or-truck-accident-lawsuit.cfm?q=federal%20v%20state%20court knowledge of which courts are preferable can be the difference between obtaining fair compensation and getting nothing.
Basically, Laurel spans the borders between Howard, Montgomery, Anne Arundel and Prince Georges Counties. Each has its own unique demographic profile and reputation among lawyers and insurance companies with regard to whether the juror population is sympathetic to injured parties.
This theoretical " disposition" of the jury pool is not merely focused on liability or legal responsibility but also on the perceived willingness of jurors to award substantial damages. Each county has jury verdicts demonstrative of an inclination to award sizeable damages in car and truck accidents where the injuries suffered are catastrophic but its the less cataclysmic crashes that test juror generosity.
This author has been trying personal injury lawsuits in these counties for more than forty years and the largest results have been in Prince Georges County, followed by Montgomery County, Anne Arundel County and finally, Howard County.
This ordering is also widely accepted at area insurance claims offices and liability defense law firms. This is why the choice of venue is extraordinarily important and can result in two cases with quite similar injuries and liability scenarios, having quite different results depending on where they are filed.
With some regularity cases that might go to trial in Howard or Anne Arundel counties are settled in Prince Georges County as neither the defense lawyer nor the at-fault driver's insurance company are willing to take the risk of a more consequential verdict.
So if you are injured in a Laurel area crash make sure you explore where the case can be filed with an experienced attorney.
