Baltimore, (July 22, 2026) – Saul Ewing LLP attorney Daniel M. Moore successfully represented Respondent Paul Lindsay before the Supreme Court of Maryland, securing a unanimous decision concerning the interpretation of Maryland’s domestic violence statute. The Supreme Court’s decision clarifies the authority vested in Maryland’s circuit courts when undertaking a de novo appeal to review an order granting or denying a protective order issued by the District Court of Maryland.
Mr. Lindsay obtained final protective orders in the District Court of Maryland and Circuit Court for Montgomery County. Petitioner, Ms. Walston, sought further appellate review in the Appellate Court of Maryland; the Supreme Court granted certiorari to determine whether a circuit court possessed the authority to enter intervening protective orders during the pendency of a de novo appeal and, if not, whether the issuance of such an order constituted the exercise of original jurisdiction. Mr. Lindsay argued that the plain language of the Family Law Article, and legislative history informing it, vests circuit courts with such authority.
The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, agreeing with Mr. Lindsay and holding that a circuit court has the authority to issue intervening protective orders during the pendency of a de novo appeal. Furthermore, the Court held that the entry of an intervening protective order does not transform a circuit court’s exercise of appellate jurisdiction into one of original jurisdiction.
The Court’s decision, grounded in the plain meaning of the domestic violence statute and harmonized with that statute’s purpose, confirms a circuit court’s ability to immediately and effectively protect victims of abuse if necessary during the pendency of a de novo appeal.
The case is styled Rosalyn Walston v. Paul Lindsay, No. SCM-REG-0038-2025, in the Supreme Court of Maryland’s September 2025 Term.
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