Boutique attention. Institutional firepower. Since 2017, Brown & Barron has recovered $169 million and counting for clients harmed by nursing home abuse, medical negligence, and other institutional failures.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATIONPast results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is different.
You noticed something. A bruise nobody had an explanation for. A weight chart that only moved down. A parent who stopped calling because they were afraid, or too medicated to know the day. You did not want to be right. But the pattern kept holding.
Brown & Barron is a Maryland nursing home abuse law firm based in Baltimore. Our attorneys represent residents and families across the state when the harm comes from the very people paid to prevent it. If what you are seeing does not add up, you are not overreacting. Trust that instinct.
Call Brown & Barron at (410) 547-0202, or request a free case review through our contact form. Consultations are confidential and cost nothing. If we take your case, you owe no fee unless we recover for you.
What Counts as Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Under Maryland Law
Maryland treats nursing home abuse and neglect as distinct forms of harm, each with legal consequences under state and federal law. The Maryland Nursing Home Bill of Rights and the state residents' rights regulations at COMAR 10.07.09 define the standards facilities owe their residents.
The federal Nursing Home Reform Act layers additional protections on any facility that accepts Medicare or Medicaid funds.
Abuse Covers More Than Physical Harm
Abuse in a Maryland nursing home may include physical mistreatment, emotional abuse, improper restraints, or nonconsensual sexual contact. Financial exploitation is a separate form of wrongdoing that may involve the unauthorized use or taking of a resident's money, assets, or property.
Depending on the facts, this conduct may support claims for negligence, assault or battery, statutory financial exploitation, conversion, fraud, or breach of fiduciary duty when a fiduciary relationship exists.
Neglect Is the Failure to Provide Basic Care
Neglect is the more common pattern and often the more dangerous one. It shows up when staff fail to reposition, feed, hydrate, monitor, or call a doctor when symptoms escalate. Neglect kills quietly, and it kills fast in a frail population.
Residents Have Enforceable Rights
Maryland residents have the right to be free from abuse and neglect, the right to dignity, the right to communicate with family, the right to manage their own finances, and the right to make complaints without retaliation. Violations may lead to licensing sanctions and may also provide evidence supporting a civil claim.
The Maryland Attorney General may seek injunctive relief for certain imminent or ongoing violations of specified nursing home resident rights.
Sorting a genuine claim from an unavoidable decline requires medical judgment and a look at what the records actually show. That review is where most cases begin.
Warning Signs Families Notice First
Most families see nursing home abuse or neglect before they know what to call it. The first sign is usually a feeling that something is wrong, followed by a physical detail that has no innocent explanation.
Signs worth taking seriously include:
- Pressure sores or bedsores, especially at Stage III or IV
- Rapid or unexplained weight loss, dehydration, or malnutrition
- Falls, fractures, or head injuries that were not properly reported
- Unexplained bruises, burns, or restraint marks
- Sudden withdrawal, anxiety, or fear around specific staff
- Missing money, medications, or personal belongings
- Poor hygiene, soiled bedding, or unaddressed medical conditions
Any one of these on its own may have an explanation. A pattern, especially one the facility struggles to explain in writing, is a reason to escalate. Documenting what you see, including photos, dates, and staff involved, preserves the evidence a case may later depend on.
The Kinds of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Cases We Handle
Brown & Barron focuses on catastrophic harm inside Maryland nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Our nursing home abuse attorneys work matters where the injury altered a life or ended one, and where the facility's own records tell part of the story.
The table below summarizes common case types, the warning signs that often surface first, and the civil claims each may support.
| Type of Harm | Warning Signs | Civil Claims That May Apply |
|---|---|---|
| Neglect leading to pressure sores | Wounds over bony areas, worsening ulcers, infection | Negligence, medical malpractice, wrongful death |
| Falls and fractures | Unwitnessed falls, unexplained bruising, hip or head injury | Negligence based on inadequate staffing, wrongful death |
| Malnutrition and dehydration | Rapid weight loss, sunken eyes, dry mouth, confusion | Negligence, medical malpractice, wrongful death |
| Medication errors | Missed doses, oversedation, wrong medications administered | Medical malpractice, negligence |
| Sepsis and untreated infections | Fever, altered mental status, urinary tract infections left untreated | Medical malpractice, wrongful death |
| Physical or sexual abuse | Unexplained bruises, restraint marks, fear of staff, injuries | Assault and battery, negligent hiring or supervision |
Most cases involve more than one category. A resident who develops sepsis often has untreated infections, missed medications, and inadequate monitoring in the same chart. Building the case starts with the records and moves outward.
Not sure whether what you are seeing is enough for a case? Call Brown & Barron at (410) 547-0202 for a free, confidential conversation. There is no obligation, and the records tell us more than any phone call ever could.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATIONWhat It Costs to Work With a Maryland Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
There is no fee to speak with Brown & Barron, and no fee to hire us. We handle Maryland nursing home abuse cases on a contingency basis, which means our fee comes out of the recovery at the end of the case. If there is no recovery, you owe us nothing.
That structure matters because nursing home cases require serious investment, and family finances should not be the reason a claim never moves forward. A Maryland nursing home abuse case typically requires:
- Retrieval and review of medical, facility, and staffing records
- Qualified health care provider reviewers and Certificate of Qualified Expert preparation when required
- Life-care planning and vocational reviewers for future damages
- Medical illustration and demonstrative exhibits for trial or mediation
- Filing fees, deposition costs, and trial preparation
The specific treatment of these costs is set out in the written representation agreement. Contingency representation removes the fee barrier that otherwise puts justice out of reach for the families who need it most.
Why Choose Brown & Barron as Your Nursing Abuse Lawyer in Maryland
Boutique nursing home abuse work looks different from volume personal injury practice, and that difference matters most when a case turns on medical records, missed protocols, and institutional pressure. A few things distinguish how our Baltimore firm handles a Maryland nursing home abuse case.
Attorneys Who Built the Firm Around These Cases
Brown & Barron was founded by Brian Brown and Leah Barron to serve Maryland families harmed by hospitals, nursing homes, and medical providers. Leah Barron's practice is substantially focused on nursing home abuse and neglect matters, and the firm was structured around the kinds of cases these families bring.
A Focused Maryland Practice
Brown & Barron focuses on medical malpractice, nursing home abuse and neglect, birth injury, and catastrophic injury and wrongful death matters. That focus is what allows deep familiarity with Maryland's Nursing Home Bill of Rights, the state's OHCQ inspection process, and the facilities most often at the center of these claims.
Results That Reflect the Preparation
Brown & Barron has recovered more than $169 million for clients since 2017 and holds more than 235 five-star reviews. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. What those numbers reflect is the depth of preparation we bring to these cases and the trust families place in us at some of the hardest moments of their lives. Approximately half of our practice focuses specifically on litigating nursing home abuse and neglect claims, and we have successfully resolved cases against many facilities throughout the state.
No Fee Unless We Recover
Every case is handled on contingency. If there is no recovery, you owe us nothing. That structure lets the decision to move forward be about the merits of your situation, not the size of your bank account.
The common thread across all four is focus. Focus on Maryland. Focus on catastrophic institutional harm. Focus on families who need a firm that treats their case as its only case.
Maryland Nursing Home Abuse Questions Answered by Our Baltimore Attorneys
The questions below come up most often in the first conversation with a family exploring a Maryland nursing home abuse claim.
How long do I have to sue a nursing home in Maryland?
Most Maryland civil negligence claims must be filed within three years after the claim accrues under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101. The date of accrual may depend on when the injured person knew or reasonably should have known of the injury and its probable cause. Claims involving a medical injury arising from professional health care services fall under § 5-109, which generally requires filing within the earlier of five years after the injury was committed or three years after discovery.
Wrongful death claims tied to nursing home negligence generally have a three-year period from the date of death. Timing questions turn on how the case is characterized and warrant a prompt call.
Can I sue a Baltimore nursing home if my loved one died from bedsores or sepsis?
Yes, in many situations. Fatal bedsores and sepsis often reflect a chain of nursing failures: missed repositioning, delayed wound care, unrecognized infection, and inadequate monitoring. Maryland families may bring wrongful death and survival actions when negligent care caused or hastened the death. The medical and facility records usually contain the evidence a Maryland nursing home abuse lawyer needs to evaluate the case.
Do I need proof before I call a nursing home abuse attorney?
No. You need enough concern to ask questions, and the records do much of the rest. Facilities are required to maintain detailed documentation, and Brown & Barron obtains and reviews those records as part of the case evaluation. What you have seen, taken together with what the chart shows, is often more than enough to know whether a claim exists.
What if my loved one signed an arbitration agreement at admission?
Arbitration clauses in Maryland nursing home admission paperwork are common, and their enforceability depends on the specific language, who signed, and the circumstances of admission. Some clauses have been challenged and set aside. An arbitration clause does not necessarily end the case. Bring the paperwork to counsel and let it be reviewed.
Does Brown & Barron handle nursing home abuse cases outside Baltimore?
Yes. Brown & Barron represents families across Maryland, including Annapolis, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Waldorf, Germantown, Bowie, Catonsville, Dundalk, and Arbutus. Baltimore is home. Maryland is our jurisdiction.
When the People Paid to Protect Them Are the Problem
You are not overreacting. You are noticing something a system counts on families not noticing.
Brown & Barron takes nursing home cases because the residents inside these walls often have no voice of their own, and their families need a firm with the time, the focus, and the record-review discipline to hold facilities accountable.
Call Brown & Barron at (410) 547-0202, or request a free case review through our contact form. Consultations are confidential and cost nothing. If we take your case, you owe no fee unless we recover for you.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATIONAttorney Advertising. Brown & Barron, LLC · 7 St. Paul Street, Suite 800, Baltimore, MD 21202 · (410) 547-0202. Responsible attorney: Brian S. Brown, Managing Member. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes; every case turns on its own facts. This page provides general information and is not legal advice.