Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers
Queen Anne’s County is one of Maryland’s smaller jurisdictions, and it presents outsized challenges for plaintiffs in personal injury and malpractice cases. With just over 51,000 residents, it is the least populated county in the Baltimore–Washington metro area, and its juries have a reputation for being conservative on damages. That reality makes plaintiffs’ lawyers cautious about filing cases here, even when the facts are strong.
Still, serious cases can and do succeed in Queen Anne’s. Our firm has handled injury and wrongful death claims in this county, including recent six-figure and seven-figure settlements. This page explains what you need to know about filing lawsuits in Queen Anne’s County, from jury attitudes and judge assignments to recent settlement amounts, so you can better understand the risks and opportunities if your case is filed here.
Queen Anne’s County Settlement Amounts and Jury Payouts
Around 20 auto collision cases have been filed in Queen Anne’s County Circuit Court, with 30 tort claims overall. You rarely see a medical malpractice lawsuit filed in Queen Anne’s. (This lawsuit against a Queen Anne’s Hospital emergency room doctor was filed in Talbot County.)
That is not a lot of severe injury trials. Why? One reason is that there are not — relatively speaking — many people in this county. Prince George’s County, for example, has more than 15 times more citizens who are generally more litigious. People in Queen Anne’s are filing a lawsuit as a last resort.
But there is a more significant issue. Plaintiffs’ lawyers avoid this county like the plague because these jurors, and indeed all Eastern Shore juries, are considered conservative in their verdicts. Most personal injury attorneys find another county where they can file the lawsuit, or they try to get jurisdiction in federal court.
Does this mean you cannot win a personal injury jury trial in Queen Anne’s County? Absolutely not. You can win a good case anywhere. But if you bring an injury or death case to trial in this county, it had better be an iron-solid case.
In the District Court, about 1,500 civil cases are filed annually. In the Circuit Court, plaintiffs’ personal injury lawyers tend to prefer bench trials (where the judge decides the verdict) over jury trials in Queen Anne’s County, and many lawyers look for excuses to file elsewhere. However, a sincere plaintiff with objective injuries will typically do well in any jurisdiction.
We settled a case in Queen Anne’s County in which a woman was hit as a pedestrian and suffered a broken leg and fractured pelvis. The woman had a remarkable recovery, and we still settled the case for $200,000. But the settlement talks were full of “You know we are in Queen Anne’s County, right?” arguments from the defendants. We also below about a $850,000 settlement we had in 2024.
Other points of interest when bringing personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases in this jurisdiction:
- Webb, Cornbrooks, Wilber, Vorhis, Douse,& Leslie, LLP is, by Eastern Shore standards, a large law firm that defends a lot of the severe injury and wrongful death cases brought in or around Queen Anne’s.
- Many lawyers used Easton companies for service of process. Whitzel & Associates, LLC and Boomers Process Servers are commonly used. There is a company in Chester called Chesapeake Services you could also use. There is also nothing wrong with first trying to serve defendants by certified mail as allowed by the Maryland Rules of Civil Procedure.
- You can bring a cell phone into Queen Anne’s Circuit Court.
- The filing fee to bring a tort case in Circuit Court in Queen Anne’s is $185 for clients who have lawyers. Pro se litigants get a whopping $20 discount.
Queen Anne’s County Car Accident Settlements and Lawsuits
Car accident and personal injury cases in Queen Anne’s County have always developed differently from those in larger Maryland jurisdictions. The volume of cases filed here is lower, and the juries are known for being cautious with verdicts. That reputation makes many lawyers hesitant to bring personal injury cases before a local jury. However, a plaintiff with strong evidence and clear injuries can still obtain a successful outcome in Centreville.
Because of the perceived conservatism of local jurors, many attorneys handling Queen Anne’s County car accident lawsuits look for opportunities to settle claims rather than take them to trial. Others may attempt to file cases in federal court or in another jurisdiction. Even so, serious claims are regularly resolved within the county courts, and judges in Queen Anne’s County will keep cases moving forward. It is also common for lawyers to opt for bench trials instead of jury trials when the facts of the case support this strategy.
There are recent examples that illustrate the point. In one case, a pedestrian in Queen Anne’s County who suffered a broken leg and fractured pelvis reached a settlement of $200,000 after recovering well from the injuries. In another case, a driver involved in a highway collision suffered multiple fractures and a traumatic brain injury. That claim, which was one of our cases, settled for $850,000 after the defendant’s insurance company repeatedly argued that the case was worth less because it was in Queen Anne’s County. These results demonstrate that, despite juries in this area being considered conservative, meaningful compensation can still be achieved.
Every personal injury attorney in Centreville knows that the sledding is a little tougher in these cases. But jurors are conservative, not unreasonable. If you give them what they require, liability and real damages, they will give a fair payout to victims.
Judges in Queen Anne’s County
The outcome of a personal injury or malpractice case in Queen Anne’s County is shaped not just by the jury pool but also by the judges who preside over these cases. Understanding who sits on the bench can give plaintiffs and their lawyers a better sense of how trials are managed and what to expect in terms of courtroom style, rulings, and scheduling. Below is an overview of the current Circuit and District Court judges in Queen Anne’s County.
Queen Anne’s County Circuit Court Judge
Judge C. Lynn Knight serves as the County Administrative Judge for the Circuit Court in Queen Anne’s County. She was appointed to the bench by Governor Larry Hogan and took office on January 15, 2020. Before becoming a judge, Knight practiced law for nearly two decades, running her own law firm, the Law Offices of Lynn Knight, from 2002 to 2020. She also previously served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Kent County (1998–2002).
As the Administrative Judge, Knight oversees not only trials but also the overall operations of the Queen Anne’s County Circuit Court, which is part of Maryland’s Second Judicial Circuit.
Queen Anne’s County District Court Judge
Judge Frank M. Kratovil, Jr. is the District Court judge for Queen Anne’s County (District 3 of the Maryland District Court system). He was appointed to the bench in 2011, and his current 10-year term is set to expire in 2032.
Kratovil has had a wide-ranging career in both law and public service. He served as the Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney from 2002 to 2008, then was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Maryland’s 1st Congressional District from 2009 to 2011. After serving in Congress, he returned to the bench as a judge.
In the District Court, Judge Kratovil presides over misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic matters, landlord–tenant disputes, small claims, and other civil cases with lower dollar amounts, making him a key judicial figure in Queen Anne’s County.
Example Queen Anne’s County Lawsuit Settlement
Let’s look at an example lawsuit we brought in Queen Anne’s County that settled in 2024 for $850,000. While driving south on a two-lane highway on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, our client was involved in a severe collision when the defendant attempted to cross directly into his path of travel.
Despite a stop sign and a flashing red light mandating her to yield at the intersection, the defendant, who admitted to looking but not seeing our client’s vehicle, was found at fault by the investigating police officer. Proving responsibility was not a challenge – drivers have a duty to see what is there to be seen. As a result of the defendant’s negligence, our client suffered extensive injuries, including a fractured ankle, two fractured vertebrae, a cervical disc herniation, a fractured pelvis, eight fractured ribs, and a traumatic brain injury that led to loss of consciousness.
Although he had a good recovery, these debilitating injuries left him immobile for several months and he accumulated medical expenses of nearly $80,000. Our lawyers did not get a good pre-suit offer. But we were able to settle this case for $850,000, which we think – and more importantly, our client thinks – was a great result.
Centreville and Stevensville Personal Injury Cases
Most personal injury claims in Queen Anne’s County are filed in or around Centreville, the county seat and the location of the Circuit Court. Centreville is where many serious car accident and wrongful death cases are brought, since the courthouse has jurisdiction over claims that exceed the District Court’s limits. If you are looking for a personal injury attorney in Centreville, it is important to work with a lawyer who understands how local juries evaluate cases.
Stevensville, the largest town in the county, also sees its share of claims. With more traffic flowing to and from Kent Island and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Stevensville has a higher rate of car and truck accident cases compared to the more rural parts of the county. Lawyers handling cases in Stevensville must often deal with out-of-county insurance adjusters who may not fully understand how the Queen Anne’s County courts operate. A lawyer familiar with the local bench and jury pool is better equipped to explain to the defense the risks of trial, even in a conservative jurisdiction.
Hiring a Lawyer
Our law firm handles serious personal injury car accidents, product liability, and medical malpractice cases in Centreville, Stevensville, and throughout the entire Eastern Shore. If you have been injured in an accident, by a defective product, or due to malpractice, call our lawyers at 800-553-8082 or schedule a free, no-obligation initial consultation online. In fact, there is never a fee or charge of any kind unless we get a recovery for you.