we stand together - Public Justice Center

The Public Justice Center 2013 AnNual Report
WE STAND TOGETHER
“…. So many days I wake up and feel no hope;
I see no light down the road but because I have you
I know that there is someone fighting for me
on the days I’m too tired to fight.
Thank you with every beam in my heart!....”
–excerpt from a note from a PJC client
We stand together—
clients, contributors,
board members, partners,
staff and volunteers—
to build a just society.
2
WE STAND TOGETHER
So Kids Can Go To School
3
WE STAND TOGETHER
As Champions For Justice
4
WE STAND TOGETHER
So Workers Get Paid
6
WE STAND TOGETHER
To Advance Civil Rights And Poverty Law
7-17 WE STAND TOGETHER
As Donors
8
WE STAND TOGETHER
To Reduce The Number Of Youth In Adult Jails
10 WE STAND TOGETHER
To Establish A Right To Counsel In Civil Cases
12 WE STAND TOGETHER
For Safe, Affordable Housing
14 WE STAND TOGETHER
For Stronger Tenant Protections
16 WE STAND TOGETHER
For Access To Health Care And Public Benefits
182012-13 Income & Expenses
19 WE STAND TOGETHER
Litigation Partnership, Law Firm Campaign, Cy Pres Awards
20 Board and Staff Lists
Dear Friends,
Because you stand with us, we had another great year.
Together, we forced the state to respond faster to people with
disabilities when they apply for Medicaid. We protected the
rights of tenants against banks foreclosing on their homes
and against landlords trying to illegally evict them. We
advanced the rights of homeless kids to go to school.
And we kept up the steady drumbeat on our campaigns to
stop wage theft and to keep kids out of adult jails.
Because you stand with us, heads are turning.
In February, we earned the Standards for Excellence from
Maryland Nonprofits. We are leaders in the Moving
Maryland Forward Network. We sit on the Access to Justice
Commission and several task forces created by the Maryland
General Assembly. Our efforts caught the attention of
national leaders impressed by Maryland’s new Unpaid
Wage Lien Law and advocates who want to be part of the
growing momentum of the National Coalition for a Civil
Right to Counsel.
Thank you.
Michele Gilman, President of the Board
Because you stand with us, we boldly push ahead.
We all know there is more work to be done. In the coming
year, we will continue to call on lawmakers to require
employers to provide earned sick leave for workers. We will
press for tenants to be treated with fairness and dignity and
for access to affordable housing. We will fight wage theft.
We will push for kids to have more access to school and less
access to prison. With you by our side, we will keep doing
what we do best.
Because you stand with us, we are growing.
We turn 30 in 2 years (2015)! By this milestone birthday,
we want to double the number of people who support our
mission. This year, you stepped it up! You contributed more
dollars and hosted fun events so we could meet new people.
You signed petitions, joined our donor briefings and called
your legislators. You ‘liked’ us on Facebook, ‘re-tweeted’ our
news and forwarded our emails. Wow. Now stand with us as
we celebrate what we accomplished this year.
John Nethercut, Executive Director
1
After years of advocacy by the PJC and a broad community
We Stand Together
So Kids
Can Go
To School
of organizations who support vulnerable families, the Baltimore City
Public Schools took steps forward in their efforts to keep kids in school—
and to support their success—regardless of whether or not they have a
permanent address. In March 2013, the City Schools proposed to the Chief
Executive Officer and Board of School Commissioners a draft policy and
implementing regulation governing the rights of homeless students. On
May 14, 2013, the Board and CEO approved a final version of the policy
that reflected all of the PJC’s recommendations as well as a final version
of the regulation that incorporated most of the PJC’s proposed changes.
However, as school started again in August 2013, PJC heard from many
families that these advances were not being implemented. Specifically,
we learned of widespread violations of the law, including in the areas of
transportation, access to uniforms, access to fee waivers, and the provision of
information to families about their rights. In September, as this report went
to press, the PJC filed a class action lawsuit against the Baltimore City Public
Schools for violation of the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act.
Going Forward:
2
In addition to continuing to advocate for full protection of homeless students’
rights in Baltimore City, PJC attorney Monisha Cherayil will work with the
Task Force to Study Housing and Supportive Services for Unaccompanied
Youth formed by the 2013 Maryland General Assembly. Monisha will co-chair
the Supportive Services subgroup, which is charged with studying education
and other services. She will conduct outreach across the state and review
national best practices in order to better understand the education needs of
Maryland’s unaccompanied homeless youth and make recommendations
for statewide and locally-targeted strategies to meet those needs.
We Stand Together as Champions
This year the following
donors have shared generous
unrestricted contributions
totaling $1,000 or more. Your
support affords us the flexibility
to meet injustice where it rises
and to use the tools necessary to
balance the scales of justice—
no matter how long it takes.
We consider you to be our
Champions of Justice.
Michael Booth and Kristine Smets
Richard and Judith Katz
Jane Brown and Neil Didriksen
Mark B. Martin and Lisa D. Pedersen
Paul S. Caiola and Vanessa D. Billings
The Lois and Irving Blum Foundation, Inc.
The John Meyerhoff and
Lenel Srochi-Meyerhoff Fund
Elena Cox
John F. Morkan, III
Dunn Development Corp.
Elizabeth K. Moser
Deborah and Neil Eisenberg
John Nethercut and Emily Hunt
Margaret Z. and Henry C. Ferguson
Russell R. Reno, Jr.
Andrew D. Freeman and
Jo Margaret Mainor
Delegate Samuel I. Rosenberg
Robert E. Funk, Jr.
Stephen H. and Sheila K. Sachs
Michele E. and Neil Gilman
The Honorable John P. and
Dina E. Sarbanes
Thomas X. Glancy, Jr. and
Charlotte A. Stivers
Tricia Rubacky and Bill Merritt
Senator Paul S. Sarbanes
Stephen and Margaret Greif
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
Gregory and Amy Hemingway
M. Sigmund and Barbara K. Shapiro
Philanthropic Fund
Janet Hostetler
The Howard Family Fund
The Honorable Earl Johnson, Jr.
David A. Kandel and Betsy L. Krieger
Michael K. and Annette M. Wasno
Christine E. Webber and J. Wesley McClain
The Bea & David Zack
Memorial Foundation Inc.
3
We Stand Together
So Workers Get Paid
We believe every person has the right
to work with dignity and to be paid for her work. Unfortunately,
too many employers steal wages by paying less than minimum wage, refusing
to pay overtime, forcing their employees to work off the clock, stealing tips,
withholding pay, and even not paying workers at all.
Ever wonder why working families can’t pay the rent
or put food on the table?
Wage theft is standard practice in many industries—especially those that
employ low-wage workers. This practice undermines the very notion that
working for a living is the best way to sustain a family. Two-thirds of the
families who meet the U.S. government’s definition of “poor” are working.
Yet they still can’t make ends meet. Why not? One outrageous reason is that
nearly two-thirds of the “working poor” experience wage theft every week. In
fact, workers who experience wage theft earn on average $1.43 less than the
minimum wage, which equates to a loss of $57.20 per week—almost $3,000
per year. For a mother earning less than $18,000 a year, that $3,000 is critical.
What would you do if someone stole $3,000 from you?
Maryland has a brand new solution.
4
This year, the PJC led a coalition of workers and advocates to pass a gamechanging law in the Maryland General Assembly. The Unpaid Wage Lien
Law gives workers a method of putting a “hold” on the property of an
employer until the employer pays the worker the wages he or she has earned.
Like other liens, a lien for unpaid wages would keep the employer from
selling, hiding, or disposing of the property until the wages are paid or the
lien is released.
Maryland is one of only three states to allow for workers to impose a lien
like this prior to a judgment for wages owed, and our law is the most
progressive and worker-friendly. This incredible victory is a beacon of
promise for Maryland workers and will serve as a model for other states.
THE COURAGE TO STAND FOR JUSTICE: Muriel Peters
Since we stepped up our campaign against wage theft, we have filed 14
lawsuits on behalf of groups of workers who have had their wages stolen.
Home health care workers are especially hard hit, and two of our lawsuits
are on behalf of two single moms who work in that industry. They each
allege that they worked well in excess of 40 hours a week for about
$10 per hour and received no overtime, despite being employed by
for-profit companies that are subject to Maryland’s wage laws.
We honor one of these working women, Muriel Peters, with the
John P. Sarbanes Courage Award for standing up against her former
employer in court and for testifying in front of the Maryland General
Assembly about the impact wage theft has had on her family and
others like her.
Courtesy of the Executive Office of the Governor.
5
WE STAND TOGETHER
To Advance Civil Rights
And Poverty Law
“If [the bank] did not want
to be treated as a landlord,
then they should not have
acted like a landlord and
tried to evict my clients.”
–From oral arguments delivered
by Jean Zachariasiewicz in
theCircuit Court of Baltimore
City during an appeal for
tenants in foreclosure
Appellate advocacy has the potential
to change laws that affect thousands or
even millions of people. The PJC uses appellate courts to
influence the development of civil rights and poverty law. This year the
Appellate Advocacy Project filed 8 briefs, received 7 decisions and had
22 appellate cases pending. The project brought appeals in multiple cases
initiated by other PJC projects. We appealed the lower courts’ decisions in
two cases brought by the Human Right to Housing Project that involved
tenants’ rights in the context of foreclosure and eviction. An appeal was
also noted in a case initiated by the Workplace Justice Project, advocating
for workers’ rights to full redress under Maryland law for employers’ failure
to pay overtime wages. The Appellate Advocacy Project is also litigating
the adequacy of an attorney’s fee award in a case brought by the Health
and Benefits Project that enforced timely processing of federal benefits
applications to thousands of Marylanders. Other highlights include:
• Working to ensure that the state abides by its duties under the
Maryland Public Information Act by representing two prisoners
whose public record requests were illegally denied;
• Filing an appeal on behalf of a prisoner in Virginia who was
subjected to cruel and unusual punishment when he was placed in
restraints for 27 hours without access to bathroom facilities.
A special thank you to Jean Zachariasiewicz, the 12th Francis D. Murnaghan,
Jr. Appellate Advocacy Fellow, who staffed the project this year.
6
We Stand Together as donors
The Abell Foundation
Susan D. Bennett
Robert A. Abiuso
Michael and Pamela Betton
Jonathan Acton, II
Kate Bladow
Nora L. Adams and Mary E. Goodwin
F. Paul Bland
Sherry A. Adeyemi
The Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation, Inc.
Barbara Alexander
Marilyn Bliden
American Bar Association
James D. Blum
Joseph F. Anastasio
Ascanio S. Boccuti
Anonymous (5)
David S. Bogen and Patricia Y. Ciricillo
Carol Antoniewicz and Edward Sorensen, III
Leonidas and Mary Boutsikaris
Mary M. and Frank J. Aquino
Rebecca G. Bowman
Judith A. Armold
Regina T. Boyce
Frank W. Arndt
Abigail Breiseth
Dennis and Maxine Arnsdorf
Erin Brock
Jonathan Asher
Gregory Brock and Wendy Wirth-Brock
Joshua N. Auerbach
C. Christopher and Leslie Brown
Martin Auerbach
L. Tracy Brown
Andrew Baida and Cynthia Spell
Sandra T. Brushart
Baltimore Homeless Services
Edward M. and Cindy S. Buxbaum
Clinton and Katharine Bamberger
The Honorable John C. and Helen Byrnes
Taunya L. Banks
Molly Callahan
Tom and Carol Barrett
Walter Calvert
William M. Barry and Joan H. Jacobson
Lucy Cardwell
Eric J. Beane
Gregory P. Care
Benedictine Sisters
Anthony M. and Eleanor M. Carey
Paula M. Carmody
Benjamin and Kimberly Carney
Catherine C. Carr and Louis N. Tannen
Thomas and Beth Casey
Catholic Community at Relay
George B. Cauthen
David and Jan Chapin
The Chicago Bar Association
Arli Christian
Ann T. Ciekot and Noah D. Parker
Debora Clovis and David Durfee
Michele F. Cohen
Susan Cohen
Emried D. and Wandaleen P. Cole
Community Development Block Grant,
Baltimore City Department of Housing and
Community Development
The Honorable Charlotte M. Cooksey
Mark D. Coplin
Lawrence and Arlene Coppel
Karen Covington and Jay Wilkinson
Louis B. Curran and Jolie Susan
Michael Dalto
Vincent Daly
Ellen Sondheim Dankert and
Roger Dankert
continued on page 11
7
WE STAND TOGETHER
To Reduce The
Number Of Youth
In Adult Jails
The Just Kids Partnership brings the Public Justice Center and
Community Law In Action (CLIA) together in collaboration. Our goals are
to reduce the number of youth who are charged and tried as adults, advocate
for policies that transfer fewer youth to the adult criminal justice system,
and increase the number of safe and effective community-based programs
and practices that serve youth who are accused of serious offenses. The
Partnership is a member of the Moving Maryland Forward Network, through
which we have engaged more than 5,000 supporters. The powerful Just Kids
Story Bank blog illustrates the negative impact that incarceration has on
youth and communities. One campaign shared photos, facts, and stories to
illustrate the damage done when youth are held in adult jails and prosecuted
in the adult system and to move people to action. Youth leaders took the
photos and paired them with stories from their peers. Another campaign
illustrated the irony of being old enough to serve time as an adult, but not
old enough to open a bank account or vote.
Add your support at www.justkidsmaryland.org
Going forward:
The Just Kids Partnership will work closely with a task force created by the
Maryland General Assembly to examine whether Maryland should end or
limit its use of automatic charging and prosecution of youth as adults for
certain crimes.
8
9
WE STAND TOGETHER
To Establish A Right To
Counsel In Civil Cases
“Civil matters can lead to people
losing their homes, their families,
being confined in a mental
institution or being thrown out
of the country. To people in those
situations the distinction between
criminal and civil law doesn’t
make much of a difference.”
–Vice President Walter Mondale,
speaking at a U.S. Department of
Justice Gideon 50th Anniversary
Event in March 2013
This year marks the 50th anniversary of
Gideon v. Wainwright, a case establishing a right to appointed
counsel for indigent defendants in criminal cases. While it is a time for
celebration, it is also a time for recognizing the failure of states to fulfill
Gideon’s promises (the indigent defense funding crisis being just one
example), as well as the lack of a right to counsel in civil cases involving
basic human needs. We coordinated events around the country this year that
examined the interplay of the right to counsel in criminal and civil cases,
and the website we built (http://www.gideonanniversary.org) tracked these
events, as well as all the articles written this year on the subject. In addition,
staff and participants of the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel
spoke at conferences and symposia, wrote articles published in the legal and
mainstream press, gave interviews to media outlets, and provided technical
support to advocates around the country. We continued to support litigation
and legislation seeking to establish or expand the right to counsel in areas
such as domestic violence, paternity, immigration, and termination of
parental rights.
This year, we honored Robert L. Rothman, Esq.
of Arnall, Golden & Gregory with a special award for the tremendous
support he has shared with this Coalition. Thank you, Bob, for everything
you do!
10
We Stand Together as donors
Mary Joel Davis
Erica DelViscio
Shubangi Deoras
Shubanjali Dhawan-Gray
Sherrie A. Dickerson
Marci Dickman and Ralph Schwartz
Lynne Durbin
Sandra M. Dzija
Anita Sue Earls
Holly Eaton
John F. Ebbott
Robert Echols
John C. Eidleman
The Honorable John C. and
Dayne W. Eldridge
Lawrence and Barbara Eldridge
Kathleen and Todd Elliott
Elizabeth M. Embry
The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
Susan M. Erlichman and
Edward Kleinman
Alexander and Judith Estrin
Holly Fechner and Kevin Mills
Blake and Melissa Fetrow
Sandra and Robert Fink
Michael S. Finkle
David and Merle Fishman
Jim Greiner
Jerry and Clara Floyd
William Gruhn
Matthew Fraidin
Tayrn L. Gude
Susan Francis and Sandra Daniels
Thompson Guerrier
Jared Franklin
M. Willis Gunther
Marianne Freedman
M. Gayle Hafner
The Fund for Change
Debra and Joseph Hammen
Gerard J. Gaeng
Amber W. Harding
Tom Gagliardo
Ronald L. and Shirley A. Harmon
Jocelyn Garber
Jonathan Harris and Dania Rajendra
Debra Gardner
Steve and Michele Hecht
Geoffrey R. and Carol K. Garinther
Carel T. Hedlund
Jerome G. and
Carolyn Villa Geraghty
Lee M. Hendler
DeVera Gilden
Saul and Patricia Gilstein
Sally Gold and Elliott Zulver
Daniel F. Goldstein and
Laura W. Williams
Nuria Gonzalez Montalban
Leigh S. Goodmark and
C. Douglas Nierle
Frank T. and Sally Gray
Marianne and Robert Hendricks
Marcia Henry
Wendy Hess
Robert W. Hesselbacher, Jr. and
Ann Hesselbacher
Jason C. Hessler
Guy Hollyday and Pamela Fleming
Phyllis Holmen
Alan Houseman
Michael S. Greco
Kathleen Hubbard
Lawrence S. and
Shirley K. Greenwald
Heather Hunt
Barry W. Hudson
Marjorie B. Hunt
Gary and Deborah Ignatowski
Melodia H. Israel
Robin L. Jacobs
Gerard J. and Patricia M. Jarosinski
The John J. Leidy Foundation, Inc.
Amy Dunn Johnson
Paul Jolly
Katherine J. Jones
Amanda Kane
The Honorable Ronald A. and
Donna Karasic
Robert Keller
Kevin Kennedy
Robert R. Kern, Jr.
Ingrid Kershner
Jonathan I. Kipnis
Bonnie A. Kirkland
Nancy Kochuk
John L. Kopolow
George and Shelley Korch
June S. Krevor
Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum and
Harold Weisbaum
The Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund
Ann K. Kurzius
continued on page 15
11
WE STAND TOGETHER
For Safe,
Affordable Housing
“Most impressively, our whole
group rose with Mr. and Ms. Bell
when their names were called,
and later left the courtroom all
together…, apparently leaving a
strong impression on the judge, who
remarked, “Wow, all those people?”
–Rebecca Cerasoli,
excerpt from the article
“A Student in Rent Court”
in the PJC’s June 2013 e-newsletter
12
This year, the PJC partnered with the Right to
Housing Alliance and, along with other housing advocates, launched
a new campaign of foreclosure and eviction defense in Baltimore based on
the “Sword and Shield” strategy. Organizers, law students, and lawyers from
the PJC attend bi-weekly community meetings of homeowners and tenants
in the Park Heights neighborhood. The organizers and law students canvass
the neighborhood and bring people to the meetings where residents study
human rights and envision a Baltimore that upholds the human dignity of all
residents. The PJC and other advocates provide legal advice to residents and
strategically select cases for full representation. We are supporting the growth
of a grassroots campaign in which the residents are empowered, organized,
and leading the push for legal and political changes that they believe are
the most relevant and meaningful to their communities. For this effort to
help actualize the human right to housing, we honor the Right to Housing
Alliance with one of this year’s John P. Sarbanes Courage Awards.
THE COURAGE TO STAND FOR JUSTICE:
Henry and Sharon Bell connected with the Right to Housing Alliance
and the Public Justice Center in March. What they learned gave them the
courage to stop putting up with their mysterious landlord, a man they
knew only from phone calls and text messages. The Bells alleged that their
landlord was making no efforts to maintain the property, despite its horribly
decrepit condition. In May, the landlord attempted to use the court to
collect April rent. But the Bells were ready. With PJC’s representation and
support from the Right to Housing Alliance, they forged ahead with an
affirmative rent escrow complaint seeking abatement of rent and damages.
The judge created an escrow account and eliminated April’s rent altogether,
scheduling their damages claim for a later trial. Additionally, the Bells and
the Right to Housing Alliance used the case as an opportunity to talk with
other residents at court about the human right to housing and the need to
organize. We honor the Bells with the John P. Sarbanes Courage Award for
standing up for safe, affordable housing and for leading the way for other
residents to do the same.
13
WE STAND TOGETHER
For Stronger
Tenant Protections
“You’re talking about instant
homelessness [when landlords
act without legal process],”
[PJC Attorney Matt] Hill said.
“It’s almost a wild-wild West
mentality that may have had its
place in 1381, but it doesn’t today.”
–excerpt from March 3, 2013,
Baltimore Sun article,
“Advocates ask lawmakers
to update 600-year-old
eviction law”
14
The Public Justice Center, with our allies in the
Rental Housing Coalition, again brought important
legislation to the Maryland General Assembly.
While the Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) Act, which would
ban source-of-income discrimination in housing, passed out of committee
for the first time in many years, it died by one vote on the floor of the Senate.
Two other bills passed. One specifies that foreclosure sale purchasers and
landlords cannot evict or deny essential services to the former homeowner or
tenant without court process and the presence of the Sheriff. The other allows
a tenant to open a new utilities account in his own name when the landlord
fails to pay the utilities.
THE COURAGE TO STAND FOR JUSTICE:
In 2012, at least 300 Maryland families were locked out of their homes
by their landlords or suffered eviction without benefit of the legal system.
We honor Sheila Bradley for the courage to share her family’s story with
Baltimore Sun readers and for her testimony to the Maryland General
Assembly. Ms. Bradley testified that her former landlord had forcibly changed
the locks on her Dundalk home without court process. Her willingness to
speak out helped convince lawmakers to repeal the 600-year-old English law
that allowed so-called “self-help evictions.”
We Stand Together as donors
Mark Ladov
Lynne and Stanford Lamberg
Sheldon H. Laskin and Fran Ludman
Chinh Le
William Leibovici and Dana Reed
Brooke Lierman and Eben Hansel
Cynthia Lifson
Edward Lilly
William C. Lindsey
Rhonda Lipkin and
Michele Nethercott
Alexandria Lippincott
Scott Llewellyn
The Honorable James J. Lombardi
Cristina Lopez and David Sachs
Sally A. Lowe
Korey C. Lundin
Jaime Madden
Nora Mahlberg
Allan J. and Pamela Lynn Malester
Sarah Manekin and Ari Abramson
Jennifer Mann
Luke and Nancy Marbury
Marianist Provincial House
Donald Marritz
Maryland Legal Services Corporation
Lisa D. and William T. Mathias
Nay A. Maung
Shavonna Maxwell
Jerome and Frances May
Patricia McAllister
Kathie D. McCleskey
James and Diane McComb
Samantha L. McIntyre
Cheryl McLeod
George W. McManus
Foundation, Inc.
Melissa McWhinney
Aaron Merki
Sally J. Michel
Brenda and Michael Midkiff
Susan Minkin
Douglas and Diane Mitchell
Frederick Mulhauser
Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr.,
Appellate Advocacy Fellowship
George A. Murnaghan
Frank A. Natale, II
Joanne Nathans
Nelson Mullins Riley &
Scarborough LLP
Cynthia Nethercut and Joe Altonji
Nancy Patz Blaustein
Gordon and Vernie Nethercut
Kimberly Peck
John Nethercut and Emily Hunt
Jennifer and Carl Pelton
Bill Nethercut
Deborah Perluss and Mark Diamond
Cindy and Andy Newman
Stephen B. Pershing
Gene Nichol
John Pollock
Laurie J. Norris
Darrell Powell
Nathaniel Norton
Shawnielle Predeoux
Andrew and Sharon Nussbaum
Leni and Ned Preston
Frank J. O’Donnell, S.M.
Michael A. Pretl
Office of the Maryland Attorney
General and the Department
of Housing and Community
Development
Public Welfare Foundation
Lee and Marilyn Ogburn
Darius and Monica Rastegar
Darah Okeke
Open Society Institute-Baltimore
Charles and Michele Oseroff
O’sPD Nights at Camden Yards
Rachelle Raphael
Ann Rasenberger
Gerard and Eileen Reardon
Charles A. Rees
David T. Reindl
Anthony S. Reiner
Daniel Paige
Salem Reiner and Dana L. Johnson
The Honorable Nancy and
David Paige
Richard Renner and Laura Yeomans
Linda Fermoyle Rice
Marcia E. Palof
David Rocah
Tally Parham
Allan G. Rodgers
Martin Parks
Florence Wagman Roisman
Clare Pastore
Oren Root
continued on page 17
15
WE STAND TOGETHER
For Access To Health
Care and Public Benefits
“Imagine being sick and getting
sicker, and not being able to go
see a doctor because you can’t pay.
Now, timely processing will at
least eliminate one of the barriers
to healthcare that low-income,
vulnerable individuals
have been facing for years.”
–Camilla Roberson,
staff attorney at the
Public Justice Center
A swift settlement in April requires the State to
speed up its response to low-income Marylanders
with severe disabilities and serious medical needs who apply
for Medicaid. This is good news for Mary Lou Magee-Kern and the
thousands of others like her who suffered longstanding delays. Ms. MageeKern was represented by the Public Justice Center, the Homeless Persons
Representation Project, and the National Center for Law and Economic
Justice in a suit brought against the Maryland Department of Human
Resources. At the time the suit was filed, Ms. Magee-Kern had been waiting
for an eligibility determination for more than 233 days, far longer than the
90 days required by federal law. She had lost her private insurance when her
husband was laid off. While she waited for word from the State, she was
unable to see specialists to help her manage her disabilities, except when
hospitalized for an emergency. So she got sicker and sicker. Within two days
of the case being filed, Ms. Magee-Kern’s application was processed and she
had her Medicaid.
Under the agreement, the State agreed to eliminate a backlog of over 9,000
delayed cases and promptly process all new applications for Medicaid on the
basis of disability, in compliance with federal law and regulations.
THE COURAGE TO STAND FOR JUSTICE:
We honor Mary Lou Magee-Kern with the John P. Sarbanes Courage Award
for standing up as a plaintiff and for telling her story publicly in the media.
16
We Stand Together as donors
James F. and Patricia Rosner
Mechelle R. Ross
Robert L. Rothman
James V. Rowan
Maureen L. Rowland
Evelyn K. Rubel
Sharon Rubinstein
Israel Ruiz
Louis S. Rulli
Frank and Betty Russell
Lainie W. Rutkow and Adam Spira
Joy R. and Steve M.
Sakamoto-Wengel
Michelle Salomon
James G. Salvucci and
Marie Sennett
Janice G. and Bernard B. Salzman
Michael A. Sarbanes and Jill Wrigley
Mark W. Scarupa
Andrew Scherer
Sara Schneeberg
Mary Deutsch Schneider
Deborah J. Schumann
Karen Seaberry
Seawall Development Company
Dveera Segal
Joseph M. Sellers and Laurie B. Davis
Joseph Sellers and Laurie Davis
Deborah E. Shaller
Joshua M. Sharfstein
Shemer Bar Review LLC
George Shivers and
Jeannette Sherbondy
Dana Shoenberg and Jeff Rackow
Kathryn V. Shulman and Jack Boyson
Paula Skedsvold
Rhona Slater
Madison Sloan
Jonathan M. Smith and
Wendy Turman
Michael A. Smith
Jo Carol Snyder
Howard Sollins and Barbara Resnick
Berryl A. and Linda G. Speert
Thomas S. Spencer
Therese Staudenmaier
Nevett and Betsy Steele
Jessica Steinberg
Marc E. Steinberg and
Jennifer A. Goldberg
Rosalyn Stephens
Jere B. Stern
Sally Sutton
Alicia Wilson
Gustava Taler
Larry Wissow and Nancy Hutton
Eric Tars
Margaret Witherup
Sanford and Karen Teplitzky
Phong Wong
Jennie Terman
Reyma Woodford
Jason A.L. Timoll
Alan D. and Lee M. Yarbro
John E. Tobin, Jr. and Karen L. Ryan
Lewis Yelin and Teresa Hinze
Julieta Tord
David R. Yoder
Andrew and Terri Torrez
Bernadette Yu
Francis J. Townsend, III
Pattie Yu
Elizabeth H. Trimble
Jean Zachariasiewicz
Jayne Tyrrell
Merril Zebe and Dennis Hager
David S. Udell
United Way of Central Maryland
Matching Gifts
Daniel Van Gelder
The Abell Foundation
Baltimore Community
Foundation
Open Society InstituteBaltimore
Verizon Foundation
Theodore and Rita Walden
Richard L. and
Manuele D. Wasserman
Lyn Watner
Jessica Weber
Stefanie Weiss
Beth J. Werlin
Melissa Westbrook
Laurie Wiest
Sara Wilkinson
17
FY2013 INCOME &
EXPENSES
July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013
Income
Total $1,678,924
Pro bono Contributions
In FY13, the PJC established co-counseling partnerships with, and received
pro-bono research from 126 attorneys and paralegals in private law firms. They
provided more than 7,863 hours of volunteer/pro bono private attorney and
paralegal involvement in our work, valued at $2.48 million.
The Standards evaluate principles of honesty,
integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility,
and accountability in nonprofit program
operations, governance, human resources,
financial management and fundraising.
18
Total $1,803,139
General Operating
Expenses
$285,704
The following information was prepared from end-of-year statements
prior to the completion of the annual independent audits.
Last year (FY 2012), the PJC reached its highest level of funding and staff in its
26 years with $2.1 million in revenues, $1.3 million in unrestricted net assets
(“reserves”), and 21 full time staff. We knew this year (FY 2013) would not
sustain that peak because several large foundation grants would be ending and
would not be renewed because they were recession oriented. The Board approved
a budget with a $135,000 deficit, and we held off on costs and hiring. This
caution resulted in finishing the year within budget (having reduced the deficit to
$124,243), and still with $1.25 million in reserve. The PJC is in a strong financial
position now, but we need the continuing support of private foundations and
even more committed individual supporters. Strong advocacy is possible only
with a strong base of support.
Expenses
Non Personnel
Project Expenses
$130,847
Personnel Expenses
$1,386,588
Restricted grants from
Foundations $1,205,851
Unrestricted grants from
Foundations $128,200
Murnaghan Fellowship
$90,000
Contributions from Law Firms
$44,900
Contributions from Individuals
$84,603
Interest & Miscellaneous $8,550
Events $2,763
Cy Pres Awards $87,112
Attorney’s Fees $26,945
We Stand Together as donors
Law Firm
Campaign
$10,000+
Venable Foundation
$3,000+
Anonymous
Whiteford, Taylor & Preston L.L.P.
Rosenberg|Martin|Greenberg, LLP
Conti, Fenn & Lawrence LLC
Mark and Carol Steinbach
Ku & Mussman, PA
Tydings & Rosenberg LLP
Nathans & Biddle LLP
$700+
Slevin & Hart, P.C.
Mr. and Mrs. Rignal W. Baldwin, Jr.
Williams and Santoni, LLP
Shawe & Rosenthal LLP
$500+
$2,500+
Chason, Rosner, Leary &
Marshall, LLC
Gallagher, Evelius & Jones, LLP
Goldberg & Banks, PC
Gordon Feinblatt LLC
Litigation
Partnership
Cy Pres Awards
This income is awarded by courts to
give residual funds from consumer class
actions to worthy nonprofits, and to
make the losing defendant in certain
kinds of cases reimburse the winning
plaintiff for their attorney fees.
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP
Ates Law Firm, PC
Gordon & Wolf Chtd.
Iliff, Meredith, Wildberger &
Brennan, P.C.
Belsky, Weinberg & Horowitz, LLC
Z Law, LLC
$2,000+
Law Offices of Mark B. Martin, P.A.
Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC
DLA Piper, LLP
Law Offices of Jonathan P. Van
Hoven, P.A.
Gordon & Wolf Chtd.
Saiontz & Kirk, P.A.
Messana, PA
Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP
Kirkland & Ellis, LLP
Salsbury, Clements, Bekman, Marder
& Adkins, LLC
Law Offices of Elizabeth Alexander
$1,000+
Ballard Spahr LLP
Daniel E. Schultz, Esq.
Rosenberg|Martin|Greenberg, LLP
Bredhoff & Kaiser, PLLC
Kerry D. Staton – Schochor,
Federico & Staton
The Employment Law Group, PC
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC
Crowell & Moring LLP
Up to $350
Kahn, Smith & Collins, P.A.
Marianna Burt, Attorney at Law
Miles & Stockbridge Foundation, Inc.
Cochran & Chhabra
Murphy Anderson PLLC
Venable LLP
The Public Justice Center, Inc. is a 501 c 3
nonprofit organization incorporated in the
State of Maryland. All contributions are tax
deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Copies of current financial statements are
available upon request by contacting the
Public Justice Center at One North Charles
Street, Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21201 or
by telephone: (410) 625-9409. Documents
and information submitted to the State of
Maryland under the Maryland Charitable
Solicitations Act are available from the Office
of the Secretary of State, Annapolis, MD
21401 for the cost of copying and postage.
19
We Stand Together as
“The only thing
necessary for
the triumph
of evil is for
good men to
do nothing.”
—Edmund Burke
FY 2013 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
Professor Michele E. Gilman
University of Baltimore
School of Law
Dennis Arnsdorf
Julieta Tord
Elena Cox
P. Andrew Torrez, Esq.
Asst. Professor Deb Eisenberg
VICE PRESIDENT
Thomas X. Glancy, Jr., Esq.
University of Maryland School of Law
Alicia Wilson, Esq.
Elizabeth Embry, Esq.
Belsky, Weinberg & Horowitz, LLC
Deputy State’s Attorney for
Policy & Planning
Gordon, Feinblatt, Rothman,
Hoffberger and Hollander, LLC
TREASURER
Gregory Hemingway, CPA
Susan Francis, Esq.
Structural
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
SECRETARY
Benjamin H. Carney, Esq.
Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum, Esq.
Gordon & Wolf, Chtd.
Aaron Merki, Esq.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
Asst. Professor Lainie Rutkow
Free State Legal Clinic
Johns Hopkins University
Bloomberg School of Public Health
Miles & Stockbridge P.C.
Brown, Goldstein, & Levy, LLP
Darah Okeke, Esq.
Lisa Pedersen, Esq.
United Food &
Commercial Workers, Intl.
Jason A. L. Timoll, Esq.
The Snyder Litigation Team
20
Zuckerman Spaeder LLP
Board, staff and volunteers
Volunteers
FY 2013 Staff
Executive Director
John Nethercut
Legal Director
Debra Gardner
Attorneys
Monisha Cherayil
Sally Dworak-Fisher
C. Matthew Hill
John Pollock
Russell “Ronnie” Reno
Camilla Roberson
Alexandra Rosenblatt
Zafar Shah
Andrea Vaughn
Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr.
Appellate Advocacy Fellow
2012-2013
Jean Zachariasiewicz
Skadden Fellow
Jonathan Harris
Jesuit Volunteer Corps 2012-2013
Elizabeth Vanasdale
Sharity Bannerman
Lutheran Volunteer Corps
2012-2013
Eliza McDermott
Victoria Chihos
Rebecca Cerasoli
Opeyemi Coker
Lia Harris
Paralegal
Levern Blackmon
Riley Ingersoll
Office Manager
Brenda Midkiff
Nancy Kochuk
Shanelle Johnson
Director of Development
Jennifer Pelton, CFRE
Lorey Louie
Development Associate
Erin Brock
Amaka Okormkwo
Legal Assistants
Rachel Boss
Nora Mahlberg
Rebecca “Becky” Reynolds
Sara Marzec
Claudette Rhone
Betty Russell
Shahnaz Syeda
Molly Theobold
Minda Thorward
Kasey Wright
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“…. So many days I wake up and feel no hope;
I see no light down the road but because I have you
I know that there is someone fighting for me
on the days I’m too tired to fight.
Thank you with every beam in my heart!....”
–excerpt from a note from a PJC client
Public Justice Center, Inc.
One N. Charles Street, Suite 200
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 625-9409
www.publicjustice.org