Here’s a case to watch, especially for those with tort cases in Maryland. Coleman v. Soccer Assoc. of Columbia, et al. (Md., Sept. Term 2012, No. 9). The Court of Appeals of Maryland is considering whether to replace the longstanding contributory negligence doctrine with a comparative fault scheme.

A number of organizations, including the American Tort Reform Association and the Chamber of Commerce, have weighed in with an amicus brief to the Maryland supreme court.  These amici note that such a fundamental change ought to be a decision of the legislature; warn of the ripple effect of such a change on a number of other state statutes that utilize the concept of contributory negligence, and on the many related state common law doctrines such as last clear chance, assumption of the risk, joint and several liability, etc.