Arnold M. Weiner is an American lawyer in Maryland with the law firm of Rifkin Weiner Livingston LLC .[1] He also represented former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, former Maryland Governor Marvin Mandel and former United States Representative Edward Garmatz. He also represented a witness who offered evidence in the case against former Vice-President Spiro Agnew.[1][2]

After graduating from the University of Maryland Law School in 1957, Weiner clerked for Simon E. Sobeloff. He then worked as an assistant United States Attorney.[2] After leaving the federal prosecutor's office, Weiner worked as a criminal defense attorney, before turning to civil litigation.[2]

One of his largest civil cases was Devan v. Ernst and Young, which settled for a near-record $185 million.[2] In Devan v. Ernst and Young, Deborah H. Devan, the Chapter 7 Trustee for Merry-Go-Round Enterprises, alleged the accounting firm engaged in duplicity and provided bad advice while providing turnaround accounting services.[3] The lawsuit accused Ernst and Young of concealing its relationship with Washington D.C. law firm Swidler & Berlin, which had recommended Ernst and Young as the turnaround adviser. Swidler & Berlin represented the accounting firm in a West Virginia lawsuit at the time. The assertion was also made that E&Y assigned junior personnel who gave incompetent advice. At the time of the settlement, experts believed it to be the first case to assign liability to a consultant hired to manage the turnaround of a bankrupt company. After settling that case, E&Y hired Weiner and his partners to represent E&Y in its suit against Swidler & Berlin.[4]

In 1980, Weiner represented Tartan Stable, the owner of the racehorse Codex in a challenge of the 1980 Preakness Stakes brought by the owners of the racehorse Genuine Risk. Television replays showed Cordero swing Codex wide and possibly brush against Genuine Risk.[5] Weiner displayed photos showing the horses almost feet apart in contrast to the television footage.[6][7] After testimony by dozens of witnesses, the Maryland Racing Commission ruled that any contact was incidental and allowed the result to stand.[6]

In 2005, Weiner successfully represented the Baltimore Orioles and MASN in litigation brought by Comcast Mid-Atlantic Sports Network over the television rights to the Orioles, thereby creating MASN.[8]

Weiner currently practices law in the Baltimore office of Rifkin Weiner Livingston LLC.

See also

References

  1. ^ "City Hall scandal: Who's who?", The Baltimore Sun, 10 January 2009
  2. ^ a b c d Annie Linskey and Julie Bykowicz, "Weiner loud in his defense of Dixon", The Baltimore Sun, 12 January 2009
  3. ^ Shane, Scott, "Accounting giant settles Md. lawsuit", The Baltimore Sun, April 27, 1999
  4. ^ Peter, Geier, "If you Can't Beat 'Em in Court - Hire 'Em", The Daily Record, 14 March 2000
  5. ^ Nack, William (May 26, 1980). "Bump and Run in the Preakness". Sports Illustrated. 52 (22): 26–31.
  6. ^ a b DeVito, Carlo (March 2002). D. Wayne: The High-Rolling and Fast Times of America's Premier Horse Trainer. McGraw-Hill. pp. 81–84. ISBN 0071387374.
  7. ^ Gilden, Jack (April 2022). The Fast Ride, Spectacular Bid and the Undoing of a Sure Thing. University of Nebraska Press. p. 295. ISBN 9781496230508.
  8. ^ Robert J. Terry, "Judge sides with Orioles over Comcast in sports network feud", The Baltimore Business Journal, July 27, 2005
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