News & Resources

Friedlander Misler PLLC is pleased to announce that, based on peer review and practice excellence, Principal and Managing Member David M. Astrove and Principal Deborah G. Astrove were recognized in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Real Estate Law. Additionally, Member Jennifer W. Jette was recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Corporate Law. All three attorneys are first-time honorees. Attorneys included in the Best Lawyers lists are reviewed by their peers based on professional capabilities and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and good standing. The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America list recognizes attorneys who are earlier in their careers and have demonstrated outstanding professional excellence in private practice. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. The 2024 edition of […]

Friedlander Misler PLLC is pleased to announce that Washington, DC’s highest court has affirmed a workers’ compensation judgement in favor of firm clients, Georgetown University and Travelers Insurance Company, following an oral argument by Member Jonathan M. Marlin. On June 15, the DC Court of Appeals affirmed a Compensation Review Board (CRB) decision that petitioner Christopher Honemond, a Georgetown University maintenance mechanic, was not entitled to modify a prior Order that concluded he had failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he sustained causally related mental health injuries, and further that Honemond is not entitled to disability benefits. The litigation, ongoing since 2017, stemmed from a June 2016 work incident in which Honemond had descended into a manhole on the Georgetown University campus to turn off a steam valve. The aforementioned decision by the DC Court of Appeals was based in large part on the principles of […]

Friedlander Misler advised Cornerstone Montgomery, an independent, nonprofit 501(c)3 mental and behavioral health services provider, in a merger with Southern Maryland Community Network, Inc. Effective April 1, 2023, the merged organization will operate under the name Cornerstone Montgomery, however, Southern Maryland Community Network will do business as Cornerstone Southern Maryland. The union allows both groups to better serve and more comprehensively meet the mental and behavioral health of residents across Maryland. The Friedlander Misler team was led by partner Jennifer Jette and principal Rebecca Urland Monzi, who both also serve in board roles for Cornerstone Montgomery—Jennifer as a current member of the Cornerstone Montgomery Board of Directors and Rebecca as a former member of the Board of Directors and current member of the HUD Board of Directors. “It was an honor to represent Cornerstone Montgomery in this deal,” Jennifer said. “The services both organizations provide are crucial to many Maryland […]

Friedlander Misler advised a regional bank on loans for two apartment complexes. The firm represented the bank on a $24,000,000 loan for the acquisition and renovation of an apartment complex in Newport News, Virginia. The firm also represented the same bank with respect to a $70,500,000 loan for new-build construction of luxury apartments in suburban Maryland. The bank participated in that loan for $25,000,000. The Friedlander team was led by principal attorney Rebecca Urland Monzi and associate Li Ann Butterfield Watson.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted the defendant’s, a construction contractor, motion for summary judgment in a negligence action. The case involves a serious injury that occurred during the construction of a hotel near the Washington Nationals’ ballpark in Washington, D.C. The Court found the plaintiff had failed to adduce any evidence that would allow a reasonable jury to conclude that the defendant had breached any duty or standard of care owed to the plaintiff. Regarding the verdict, Joe Santini stated “although obtaining summary judgment on behalf of a defendant in a negligence action is rare, the facts and evidence in this case suggested that such a motion needed to be filed, and we are pleased that the Court agreed with our analysis.” This case was vigorously litigated, and settlement was not a reasonable option given the size of the workers’ compensation lien on the file.