Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Who's a good legislature? You are, Maryland!
This week, Maryland's General Assembly is holding a hearing on a piece of legislation that would undo a controversial court ruling which has made life very hard for Free State pit bull owners.
In 2012, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in Tracey v. Solesky that pit bulls and pit bull mixes are "inherently dangerous," and that not only are these dogs' owners "strictly liable" for any attacks, but so are the owners' landlords.
This means that pit bulls are presumed to be dangerous, even if the dogs haven't previously shown any dangerous propensities. Owners of other dogs -- dogs that aren't pit bulls or pit bull mixes -- are only liable if they knew or should have known that their dogs are dangerous. Similarly, landlords aren't usually liable for their tenants' dogs, unless the landlord knew or should have known that the dogs presented an unusual risk of harm.
The ruling has been lambasted both for its substance -- even President Obama says there is no evidence that pit bulls are in fact more dangerous than any other dogs -- and for what the ruling has meant for Maryland families.
Here's the rescue group Best Friends Animal Society's take:
