Judicial Reforms for Structured Settlements in Maryland

The Washington Post reported that “Prince George County Circuit Court has implemented significant reforms” in its handling of structured settlement payment petitions filed pursuant to the Maryland Structured Settlement Protection Act. All sellers and their independent advisors must now appear at the hearings, and all petitions must be filed using the seller’s full name, rather than initials. Judge Herman C. Dawson who previously presided over the transfer petition hearings will no longer do so. Unfortunately, as this latest article on the structured settlement industry by Terrence McCoy points out, loopholes in the Maryland Structured Settlement Protection Act “benefit the companies” purchasing these structured settlement payments. More judicial reforms such as those being implemented in Prince George County would go a long way in protecting the recipients of structured settlements.