Lawyers

Experience

Merrilyn Ratliff’s practice focuses on business litigation, insurance defense, and general litigation.  She has experience through the various stages of trial and appellate work. Merrilyn also regularly defends condominium associations against suits by unit owners and represents the associations in collections actions.  Merrilyn also represents Baltimore City police officers in state and federal courts, defending against claims of wrongful arrest, constitutional violations, and excessive force.  She also has represented an asbestos trust in a significant settlement, including addressing the implications of Medicare reporting requirements upon the obligations of the parties.

Condominium Associations Work

• Part of team who prevailed on summary judgment in multimillion dollar unit owner suit alleging violation of Maryland Consumer Protection Act and Maryland Condominium Act
• Experience defending condominium associations in breach of contract litigation and arbitration actions brought by unit owners
• Regularly represents condominium associations in actions against delinquent owners

Insurance Defense

• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of worker’s compensation insurer in third-party claim for indemnification
• Experience drafting opposition to class action litigation involving resale of vehicles used previously as rental cars

Appellate Practice

• Drafted appellate briefs and oppositions in a variety of state appeals, including dispute over condominium regulations prohibiting pets and dispute over applicability of development bylaws to portion of planned community

Clerkship

• Law Clerk to the Honorable Timothy E. Meredith, Maryland Court of Special Appeals, 2009-2010

General Information

• Member: Maryland State Bar Association
• Co-Chair: CLE Committee, Bar Association of Baltimore City, 2011-2012
• Co-Presenter: MDC Brown Bag Lunch on Enforcing Judgments (Jan. 11, 2012)

Education

• University of Baltimore School of Law (J.D. 2009) cum laude
  
  • Executive Editor, University of Baltimore Law Review (2008-2009)
  • Member, 2008-2009 National Moot Court Team
• University of Maryland (B.S. 2004)