Landlord Liability
Do you allow dogs in your rental properties? Do you have a pet policy in place that restricts certain breeds? Recently in a 4-3 decision, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that owners of pit bulls, mixed breed pet bulls and the landlord can be held strictly liable for damages resulting from the dogs attack. Wikipedia states , strict liability is a standard for liability which may exist in either a criminal or civil context. A rule specifying strict liability makes a person legally responsible for the damage and loss caused by his or her acts and omissions regardless of culpability (including fault in criminal law terms, typically the presence of mens rea ). Strict liability is prominent in tort law (especially product liability ), corporations law , and criminal law . The new ruling changes the current laws dealing with pit bull attacks. The simple presence of the animal on the property is enough to establish a case for damages. The Maryland Court of Appeals conc