Smith, et al. v. Westminster Management, LLC, et al.

 TENAE SMITH, et al., v. WESTMINSTER MANAGEMENT, LLC, et al.
In the Circuit Court for Baltimore City
Case No. 24-C-17-004797

Status of Class Action

This lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City on September 27, 2017, by Tenae Smith, Howard Smith, Simone Ryer, Dechonne McBride, and Louvinia Sneed as a proposed class action. The Court has certified the case as a class action and named these individuals Class Representatives. The lawsuit is called Tenae Smith, et al. v. Westminster Management, LLC, et al. The case number is 24-C-17-004797.

The trial court has ruled that Westminster Management, LLC violated state law when it charged and/or collected impermissible and illegal fees related to the alleged late payment of rent. On November 4, 2026, the trial court entered a final judgment awarding current and former Westminster tenants over $6.5 million in damages to compensate class members for the illegal fees Westminster collected. The final judgment also declares that Westminster broke the law when it charged tenants unlawful fees and prohibits Westminster from collecting or trying to collect any of the unlawful fees. Westminster has appealed this decision.

Who is Included as a Class Member?

All persons who: 1) are or were tenants at Westminster-managed properties in Maryland; 2) have been charged fees related to the alleged late payment of rent since September 27, 2014; and 3) have paid those fees.

CLASS MEMBERS WHO HAVE MOVED SHOULD PROVIDE CLASS COUNSEL WITH THEIR CURRENT ADDRESS

If you have moved from Westminster’s property and/or changed your mailing address or plan to change it in the future, you must advise Class Counsel of your new address. Please mail or email your new address to Santoni, Vocci & Ortega, LLC, 201 W. Padonia Road, Suite 101, Timonium, MD 21093, Email: info@svolaw.com

 Court Documents

 How Do I Get More Information?

Do not call the Court with any questions or requests for information. All questions and other information requests should be submitted to the Notice Administrator or Class Counsel at the following addresses:

Para aprender más información sobre esta notificación en español, favor de llamar 410-625-9409.