Crosswhite, Limbrick & Sinclair, L.L.P.
405 Frederick Road, Suite 260
Baltimore, Maryland 21228
Phone: 410-747-4174
Fax: 410-747-7177
www.CrosswhiteLimbrickSinclair.com
SUSAN
SMITH
Susan is licensed in Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia, and is a member of the state and federal court bars for those jurisdictions. Her current practice areas include insurance defense and general civil litigation, including toxic torts, personal injury, and premises liability. Susan also advises her clients on insurance coverage matters.
Susan possesses substantial expertise in toxic tort cases by virtue of her experience successfully defending clients in lawsuits alleging bodily injury from exposure to substances such as pharmaceuticals, lead paint, chemical food flavoring and fragrance compounds, carbon monoxide, silica/mixed dust, asbestos, and home heating oil. She takes particular interest in conducting a proactive investigation of claims and alleged damages and in establishing favorable disposition opportunities for her clients throughout the litigation process. She also has significant experience with insurance "bad faith" cases, and was the co-founder and co-chair of the Maryland Defense Counsel, Inc.'s task force on Maryland's "failure to act in good faith" legislation (SB 389) (2007). he was a presenter at the Defense Research Institute's (DRI) Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Conference in 2002, authored Investigating Toxic Exposure Claims, a featured article in Claims Magazine (May 2002), and co-authored continuing legal education materials for a seminar focusing on toxic tort law in Maryland.
Her recent successes include the defense of a commercial client in a case in which a group of twenty restaurant workers who filed suit alleging that they suffered permanent brain damage as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning that occurred at the Ruth’s Chris restaurant at the Pier 5 Hotel complex in February 2008. Ms. Smith represented her client through fourteen months of discovery and obtained a complete dismissal of the claims against her client shortly before the case went to trial. The case proceeded to trial against other parties, and on July 28, 2010, a Baltimore City jury awarded nearly $34,000,000 in damages to the plaintiffs. Ms. Smith called upon her years of experience in toxic tort litigation to lead a proactive investigation of the mechanical, scientific and medical evidence and to analyze the legal liability issues, soundly defeating each allegation leveled against her client. Additionally, Ms. Smith developed expertise on the latest research on the effects of carbon monoxide and gained particularly valuable insight into the tactics currently utilized by plaintiffs’ attorneys and their experts to maximize damages in cases alleging permanent brain injury due to exposure to toxins. If you or your colleagues handle carbon monoxide claims or other toxic tort claims, Ms. Smith is happy to meet with you to offer valuable guidance during the crucial investigation and evaluation stages of such claims as well as a hard-hitting courtroom defense of claims in suit and proactive litigation resolution strategies.
Susan is a graduate of the University of California (B.A., 1993, with College Honors) and the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College (J.D., 1997). She is admitted to practice in the following jurisdictions: Maryland state courts (1997); United States District Court for the District of Maryland (2000); United States Court of Appeal for the Fourth Circuit (2002); Superior Court for the District of Columbia (2005); and Pennsylvania state court (2006). She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, the Pennsylvania State Bar Association, and Maryland Defense Counsel, Inc.
She has served for several years as an Officer and Director of several non-profit organizations, including the Village Learning Place and the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance (CSBA). Past volunteer activities include participation in the Maryland State Bar Association Power Readers Program; the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service; the Annual James W. Rouse Community Service Day; and the Baltimore City – Circuit 8 High School Mock Trial Competition. She also served on the steering committee for the Bioneers Conference held in Baltimore in 2007 and 2008, "Cultivating Change, Inspiring Solutions."