Filing a Claim in Maryland As An Out of State Resident

Filing a lawsuit or civil claim can be a long and confusing process especially if the accident takes place outside of your home state. Below, a Maryland injury lawyer discusses what you need in order to file a claim in Maryland, including whether you or the person you are suing needs to be a MD resident.

For more information on filing a claim or to discuss your lawsuit with an injury attorney, call and schedule a free consultation today.

Do You Have to Be a Maryland Resident to File a Claim in Maryland?

No, as long as someone was injured in the state of Maryland or injured by a defendant who resides in Maryland or has some connection to Maryland a case can be filed in the state of Maryland. This is due to the fact that Maryland will have some jurisdiction over the person who injured them and thus serves a basis to bring the claim in the state of Maryland.

Does the Person I’m Suing Have To Be In Maryland?

No, if an injury occurred in Maryland or the wrongdoing occurred in the state of Maryland then that would be enough of a basis to file a claim in Maryland. So even if someone from Virginia or Florida or any other state is driving and rear-ends somebody, that is enough basis for wrongdoing in the state of Maryland and thus gives you the basis to file a claim in Maryland in either the Circuit or District courts depending on the level of damages you are seeking.

The ultimate test of whether or not you can bring a lawsuit in the state of Maryland is the connection to the defendant with the state of Maryland. So in the case of a foreign company, if the company resides outside of Maryland but they caused some wrongdoing inside of Maryland, then you will be able to bring a lawsuit in the state of Maryland against the company regardless of what country their company is located in.

Can You Sue Multiple Parties In One Case?

You can sue as many parties as are liable for the injuries that you suffer. In the state of Maryland there is no limit, which is done to see that justice is served to the person that was injured and the judicial economy of having all the claims solved or resolved. If there are multiple people involved you don’t need to worry about filing multiple lawsuits because that is not the process that is currently in place.

How Do You and The Client Decide Who To Sue?

This decision is reached by having discussions with the client about what exactly happened with them and then doing their own investigation. The investigation will include collecting witness statements through an investigator, taking photographs or writing letters to the insurance carrier which will all go toward figuring out exactly who the responsible party is. So collecting all this evidence in addition to the client’s version of what happened will help determine who exactly is the proper party to file a lawsuit against.