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Terms Used In Maryland Code, NATURAL RESOURCES 1-507

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • including: means includes or including by way of illustration and not by way of limitation. See
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
(a) An action brought pursuant to this subtitle may not be compromised, discontinued, or dismissed by consent, by default, or for neglect to prosecute, except with the approval of the court. The approval may not be granted when the court determines that a monetary settlement, in excess of court costs and attorneys fees, has been offered by a defendant to a plaintiff, who has standing to sue only by virtue of this subtitle, as consideration for the settlement. If the court upon application of a defendant determines that an action in which a plaintiff has acquired standing solely by virtue of this subtitle was brought in bad faith or solely for purposes of harassment or delay, it may, after further hearing on this specific question, award to the defendant against the plaintiff a judgment for all or part of the court costs, including attorneys fees, as the defendant may establish were incurred by him in defending the action together with any damages sustained by the defendant as a result of the action having been brought, including witness fees.

(b) The Maryland Rules apply to all actions brought under this subtitle except where the provisions of this subtitle specifically describe other procedures.