Judge issues preliminary injunction in unemployment benefits lawsuits
Governor’s office: State will not appeal
Maryland’s unemployed workers are enjoying a court victory after a judge ruled Tuesday the state must continue to pay enhanced federal unemployment benefits.Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill issued a preliminary injunction in the lawsuits filed to block the governor’s early termination of federal enhanced unemployment benefits.Read the preliminary injunction hereThe governor’s office said the state does not plan to appeal the ruling.The ruling follows state law that requires the Maryland Department of Labor to maximize relief for unemployed residents.So, should a similar economic calamity happen again, this won’t be an issue.”If the federal government deems this aid necessary, I don’t know why our governor would cut us off at the knees,” said Alex Dane, a furloughed hotel worker. “It’s my lifeline to keeping a roof over my head. It’s a lifeline to putting food on the table, paying my bills. I mean, bills do not take a vacation.”The legal battle was over the federal enhanced unemployment benefits that add an extra $300 a week to the pockets of the unemployed. It also covered gig workers, the self-employed and those who exhausted other benefits.Business owners complain they are having trouble hiring and retaining employees. Gov. Larry Hogan said ending the federal benefits would have helped motivate people to go back to work.Kevin Baxter said he doesn’t need motivation, he just needs a call back from the hotel which furloughed him more than a year ago.”I just keep looking in my field and just waiting until my job calls me back, which I have been there 13 years and I would be glad to go back,” Baxter said.In the preliminary injunction, the court ordered the governor and labor secretary to continue benefits, writing that they “shall immediately take all actions necessary to ensure that Maryland residents continue to receive any and all expanded and/or supplemental unemployment benefits available to Maryland residents under the CARES Act, the ARPA, or any other existing federal source of unemployment benefits to the fullest extent allowed under Title 8 of the Labor and Employment Article of the Maryland Code.”The governor announced last month that Maryland will discontinue the benefits and reinstate work-search requirements starting July 3. That led to the lawsuits, a temporary restraining order, and ultimately, Tuesday’s ruling. The governor’s press office released a statement, saying there will be no appeal: “We fundamentally disagree with today’s decision. This lawsuit is hurting our small businesses, jeopardizing our economic recovery, and will cause significant job loss. Most states have already ended enhanced benefits, and the White House and the U.S. Department of Labor have affirmed that states have every right to do so.”While we firmly believe the law is on our side, actual adjudication of the case would extend beyond the end of the federal programs, foregoing the possibility of pursuing the matter further.””With more jobs available than ever before, work search requirements for federal programs will go into effect next week. Claimants must search for work using the Maryland Workforce Exchange, which has over 250,000 jobs available across the state.” On July 3, Fletcher-Hill granted a 10-day temporary restraining order stopping the state from ending the benefits.Memorandum OpinionTemporary Restraining OrderOn Monday, the Court of Appeals dismissed the governor’s appeal of the temporary restraining order, sending the case back to the lower court, leading to M0nday’s hearing.Maryland Court of Appeals decision on unemployment lawsuit
Maryland’s unemployed workers are enjoying a court victory after a judge ruled Tuesday the state must continue to pay enhanced federal unemployment benefits.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill issued a preliminary injunction in the lawsuits filed to block the governor’s early termination of federal enhanced unemployment benefits.
The governor’s office said the state does not plan to appeal the ruling.
The ruling follows state law that requires the Maryland Department of Labor to maximize relief for unemployed residents.
So, should a similar economic calamity happen again, this won’t be an issue.
“If the federal government deems this aid necessary, I don’t know why our governor would cut us off at the knees,” said Alex Dane, a furloughed hotel worker. “It’s my lifeline to keeping a roof over my head. It’s a lifeline to putting food on the table, paying my bills. I mean, bills do not take a vacation.”
The legal battle was over the federal enhanced unemployment benefits that add an extra $300 a week to the pockets of the unemployed. It also covered gig workers, the self-employed and those who exhausted other benefits.
Business owners complain they are having trouble hiring and retaining employees. Gov. Larry Hogan said ending the federal benefits would have helped motivate people to go back to work.
Kevin Baxter said he doesn’t need motivation, he just needs a call back from the hotel which furloughed him more than a year ago.
“I just keep looking in my field and just waiting until my job calls me back, which I have been there 13 years and I would be glad to go back,” Baxter said.
In the preliminary injunction, the court ordered the governor and labor secretary to continue benefits, writing that they “shall immediately take all actions necessary to ensure that Maryland residents continue to receive any and all expanded and/or supplemental unemployment benefits available to Maryland residents under the CARES Act, the ARPA, or any other existing federal source of unemployment benefits to the fullest extent allowed under Title 8 of the Labor and Employment Article of the Maryland Code.”
The governor announced last month that Maryland will discontinue the benefits and reinstate work-search requirements starting July 3. That led to the lawsuits, a temporary restraining order, and ultimately, Tuesday’s ruling.
The governor’s press office released a statement, saying there will be no appeal: “We fundamentally disagree with today’s decision. This lawsuit is hurting our small businesses, jeopardizing our economic recovery, and will cause significant job loss. Most states have already ended enhanced benefits, and the White House and the U.S. Department of Labor have affirmed that states have every right to do so.
“While we firmly believe the law is on our side, actual adjudication of the case would extend beyond the end of the federal programs, foregoing the possibility of pursuing the matter further.”
“With more jobs available than ever before, work search requirements for federal programs will go into effect next week. Claimants must search for work using the Maryland Workforce Exchange, which has over 250,000 jobs available across the state.”
On July 3, Fletcher-Hill granted a 10-day temporary restraining order stopping the state from ending the benefits.
On Monday, the Court of Appeals dismissed the governor’s appeal of the temporary restraining order, sending the case back to the lower court, leading to M0nday’s hearing.