On Friday, November 15, 2019, Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc. (MCVRC), on behalf of a crime victim who was seriously injured in a hit and run accident by a drunk driver, requested and received from the Federal District Court in Maryland a $22,201 restitution award ordered to be paid at the rate of $300 per month from a defendant represented by the public defender, even though she earns more than $23 per hour and has more than $163,000 in equity in the home she purchased during the litigation of this case.
The District Court had previously denied restitution to the crime victim, but MCVRC attorney Victor Stone appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. After a hearing before the appellate court in Richmond, Virginia, a three-judge appellate panel vacated the earlier lower court ruling in a published an opinion and remanded the case back for this latest restitution determination by the District Court.
MCVRC is a statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that the rights of victims of crime are fully implemented and that crime victims are treated with dignity and compassion. MCVRC (www.mdcrimevictims.org/help) offers free legal representation, grief counseling, and other assistance. MCVRC can be reached, toll free, at 1-877-VICTIM-1.
