I wrote last week about a bill pending in the Maryland House of Delegates that would authorize punitive damages against drunk drivers who caused “injury or wrongful death while operating a motor vehicle.” For whatever reason, the House of Delegates Judiciary Committee rejected the bill which means it is not happening.
2018 Update
I wrote this post originally in 2012. In 2018, this bill keeps getting held up. Last year, Senator Bobby Zurkin and other sponsored a bill that would allow for puntive damages if the drunk in question caused physical injury or death while driving with a BAC of .15, nearly twice the legal limit. The burden of proof would be higher — clear and convincing evidence — making the burden higher for plaintiffs. But the bill failed once again.