Whiteford Wins Nationally Significant Housing Case for the City of Baltimore and Its Citizens
After a decade of protracted litigation culminating in a month-long federal court trial, the United States District Court yesterday ruled completely in favor of the City of Baltimore and its housing authority. In rejecting the class action claims brought by the ACLU, the Court found that "the Baltimore City leadership of the post-Brown era deserves accolades, not criticism." In winning this landmark class action case, Whiteford's class action attorneys utilized their extensive experience in marshalling and presenting evidence spanning a 50-year period to tell the true story of the City's consistent efforts to provide housing for its neediest citizens. "This case presented the challenge of melding compelling testimony from past and present city leaders, nationally recognized experts, and a mountain of historical documents into a winning trial presentation," said Bill Ryan, the Whiteford partner who served as lead trial counsel. "We are very gratified that Judge Garbis agreed entirely with our defense arguments. The integrity and credibility of our clients' witnesses was most crucial to this victory, as was our teamwork with the Baltimore City Solicitors office" said Ryan. The Whiteford Taylor & Preston trial team lead by Thurman Zollicoffer and Bill Ryan also consisted of Dana Petersen Moore, Dwight Stone, and Warren Weaver. Throughout the lengthy litigation the team was supported by numerous attorneys, paralegals and staff at the firm.
