Keene Corp. v. Abate

MOTZ, Judge.

The appeal before us is the most recent in the spate of asbestos-related cases winding through the State’s court system. The sole question with which we are now faced is whether the Circuit Court for Baltimore City can constitutionally enjoin Keene Corporation (“Keene”), one of several defendants in a trial now underway, from advertising its views, before the jury returns a verdict, on the societal impact of the case and of asbestos litigation in general. Because the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article 40 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights prohibit…