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Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Baltimore Sun Hall of Fame 2025: George L. Bunting Jr., exec and board leader
For a man who has been a high-flyer in the corporate world, George L. Bunting Jr. is extraordinarily down to earth, say those who know him. Bunting spent two decades expanding Hunt Valley-based Noxell Corp., the family company started by his grandfather, and then negotiated its sale to Procter & Gamble in a $1.3 billion merger. Since then, he has focused on applying his money, skills and connections to build up efforts to improve health care, education, religious understanding and the arts in Baltimore and across the nation. Bunting is the kind of person who notices everyone — 'the person who opens the door, the person who is easily overlooked,' said the Rev. Christopher Leighton, founding executive director for the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies, a Towson-based nonprofit that aims to dismantle religious bias. 'No one is invisible to George's sight; there are no little people or insignificant people in George's approach to the world.' Born in Baltimore, Bunting grew up worshipping at the recently shuttered Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Mount Washington. He credits his upbringing with instilling values like honesty and trust. His worldview expanded while he attended Columbia Business School. It wasn't the marketing curriculum but his experience living at International House, home to students studying at various New York universities. Amid a 'melting pot of different disciplines,' Bunting hung out in Harlem, scarfed down late-night pizza, and had deep conversations with friends from Germany and Australia. 'I think I learned more living there than I actually did at business school,' he said of the now 101-year-old International House. 'That's where I began to realize the world is a lot bigger and there were different viewpoints.' Training as an Army reservist medic also fostered a service-oriented mindset. 'I think we should have [compulsory] national service,' he said. [It] doesn't have to be the military, could be the Peace Corps or other service, to bring everybody together at an early age from all different walks of life and backgrounds so we wouldn't have so much division today, perhaps.' Bunting hadn't set out to follow in his family's footsteps. 'My father never, never put any pressure on me about that,' he said, 'and I sort of gravitated toward it over time in my educational career.' Bunting returned home in 1966 as a product manager at Noxell Corp., famed for its Noxzema cleansing cream and other skin care products. He joined the board of directors, studied under his father as executive vice president, rose to become president and CEO, and finally, was named chairman and CEO. The company kept expanding — CoverGirl cosmetics grew into a large part of the business. But it still felt like a family to Bunting. 'It had a very excellent culture, which I inherited and nurtured along the way,' he said. 'Public companies today have changed, and there are different pressures, but it was almost fun, going to work, and we loved the products we sold.' Two years after Procter & Gamble's purchase, Bunting retired from business but kept his sleeves rolled up. In 1996, he oversaw the merger of the 'complicated' governing structures of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation into one unified Johns Hopkins Medicine board of trustees. Different priorities between the two entities were leading to conflicts, such as concerns that the hospital would dominate decision-making. Finding resolution was rewarding for Bunting. He's chairman of the board of trustees of the Abell Foundation, which has applied proceeds of the 1986 sale of The Baltimore Sun to improve educational, health and economic outcomes in Baltimore. President Robert C. Embry Jr. praised Bunting's brains, honesty and enthusiastic support for initiatives such as grant donations and lawsuits to promote equity — 'somewhat unusual' for foundations. 'He's very ethical and concerned about reducing the inequities in our society,' Embry said, recalling Bunting and the board's work to increase funding for Baltimore public schools. Bunting enjoys material trappings — his car collection formed the basis for the BHA Automobile Museum — but he can apply the blessings of wealth and access to more elevated realms. He's a lifetime trustee of the Institute of Islamic, Christian, Jewish Studies. Leighton recalled early efforts to raise an endowment for the institute, saying that Bunting's leadership, in part due to a substantial donation, challenged the community to step up by example. 'There was no way that I could go and knock on their doors and get any kind of reception,' he said of trying to drum up support. 'But when George knocked on the door and said, 'We'd like to meet with you and tell you about the work we're doing,' the response was, 'Well, if George Bunting is behind this venture, then we know it has integrity.'' 'I don't think he really knows or realizes just how powerful a force he is in doing good for others,' Leighton said. 'He just goes about that business as though it was the most natural thing in the world to do.' Have a news tip? Contact Natalie Jones at najones@ Age: 84 Hometown: Baltimore Current residence: Monkton Education: Loyola Blakefield; Loyola College; Columbia Business School, MBA in marketing Career highlights: Product manager, president, CEO and chairman of the Noxell Corp. Civic and charitable activities: Chairman of the board of trustees for the Abell Foundation in Baltimore; lifetime trustee of the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies; trustee emeritus of Johns Hopkins Medicine and Johns Hopkins Health System; trustee emeritus of Maryland Institute College of Art; created the BHA Automobile Museum, a collection of classic cars Family: Married to Anne Bunting; three children; seven grandchildren
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Court likely next stop as overhaul of Child Victims Act is signed into law
A bill that lowers damages for survivors of institutional sex abuse was one of more than 140 bills signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Tuesday. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) Lawyers representing men and women who were abused as children while in state custody said newly signed legislation will lead to court challenges and a wave of lawsuits over the next five weeks. Gov. Wes Moore (D) and legislative leaders on Tuesday signed House Bill 1378 into law, which will cut in half potential awards to victims that were promised just two years ago in legislation that was hailed for giving survivors another chance to have their day in court. But that led to claims by thousands of men and women who were sexually abused while in state custody, opening the door to potentially budget-crushing financial awards and sparking the rush to pass HB1378, which takes effect June 1. D. Todd Mathews, an attorney with Bailey & Glasser, said his firm would be part of a challenge to the new law. 'We will vigorously oppose this clearly unconstitutional bill, in order to protect the Survivors, as the State and Governor Moore have clearly failed them,' Mathews said in an email. Washington, D.C.-based Bailey & Glasser is one of nearly two dozen firms representing more than 4,500 plaintiffs. The coalition of firms has been in active negotiations with the Maryland Attorney General's office since 2023. Mathews and Ryan S. Perlin, an attorney at Baltimore-based Bekman, Marder, Hopper, Malarkey & Perlin, said the newly signed law could face several potential constitutional challenges. 'It's all but a certainty that this will be challenged,' Perlin said Tuesday morning. With a June 1 effective date, survivors have until May 31 to file a lawsuit under the old law, which caps damages at $1.5 million per occurrence for private institutions and $890,000 per occurrence against government entities. On June 1, those caps fall to $700,000 and $400,000, respectively. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Perlin said those reductions, as well as the five-week filing window, will likely be challenged, along with the difference in how the law treats lawsuits against private and public institutions. The bill also caps the fees that can be paid to attorneys representing survivors. 'That will have a chilling effect, making it harder for survivors to find a lawyer who will represent them,' said Perlin, whose firm announced last week that it had filed a new group of lawsuits against Towson-based Calvert Hall College High School under the current law The bill was one of 142 signed into law at the second ceremony following the 2025 session. That second tranche of new laws included bills affecting expungement of criminal records, the Second Look Act and legislation to aid federal workers whose jobs have been eliminated by President Donald Trump. Moore did not comment on the Child Victims Act changes during remarks delivered before the bill signing. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the office repeated a statement from last week, that 'acknowledged the trauma' survivors have faced, but said the bill would 'continue to allow the survivors to seek justice while preserving the long-term fiscal stability of the state.'' Lisae Jordan, executive director and counsel at Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said she hoped the state would make more services available to people who were abused in state facilities. 'House Bill 1378 will save the state a lot of money, but it remains to be seen whether some of the savings will be used to help prevent future abuse or to provide services for survivors who can't prove their case in court,' Jordan said in an email. 'Helping people who were sexually abused while in state custody doesn't require a lawsuit, but it will require more resources.' The muted comment at Tuesday's signing was a vastly different affair than two years ago when Moore praised passage of the Child Victims Act and throngs of survivors traveled to Annapolis for the bill signing. That 2023 law eliminated time restrictions during which survivors of institutional sexual abuse had to file lawsuits. It also set the $1.5 million and $890,000 caps on awards per 'occurrence' of abuse — a term over which plaintiff's attorneys and some lawmakers disagree. At the time, the focus was on the substantial number of cases expected to arise out of the Catholic church sex abuse scandal, and the Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy protection in advance of the 2023 law taking effect. At the same time, hundreds of cases against the state, including the Department of Juvenile Services, began to surface. Lawmakers were warned in January of billions in potential liabilities from an estimated 3,500 cases. Those alone would have dire budgetary consequences. Since then, a coalition of attorneys has said they have nearly 6,000 cases. And those cases are believed to be just the start. Two weeks ago, Levy Konigsberg, a New York-based law firm that is part of the coalition, filed lawsuits on behalf of 221 men and women in connection with sexual abuse allegations at 15 state juvenile detention facilities. The lawsuits bring the number of claims handled by Levy Konigsberg alone to roughly 2,000, according to the firm. Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), who sponsored the 2023 bill, stepped in to author the changes in HB1378, which he called an attempt to ease the potential financial burden to the state while giving survivors the opportunity to seek justice. 'This bill does nothing to change the amounts [government] is going to pay out,' said Perlin, who said lawyers will rush 'thousands of cases' to the courthouses in the next five weeks in order to come in under the current, higher caps. That rush of cases could potentially slow the judicial system and its existing workload of criminal and civil cases to a crawl. It is likely that victims' claims and legal challenges to the new law will move simultaneously. Lawyers could seek a temporary injunction before the end of May, to put the law on hold while courts determine its constitutionality; or attorneys representing the survivors could hold off on a challenge until June 1, when the new law takes effect. A third scenario would bring a challenge to the law after survivors start appealing the resolution of individual cases, according to Perlin. Mathews agreed, adding that scenario could take years to resolve.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Moore rejects call for veto as wave of sex abuse cases head to the courthouse
Attorney Robert K. Jenner holds a copy of House Bill 1378, passed last week, that reduces the financial awards for victims of institutional child sex abuse. Jenner called on Gov. Wes Moore to veto the bill, but the governor's office said he will sign it in the coming weeks. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) A group of lawyers is urging Gov. Wes Moore (D) to veto legislation that reduces the financial awards to victims of institutional abuse — but also rushing other claims to court before a May 31 deadline in case he signs it. The call for a veto came as those same attorneys announced nearly two dozen new lawsuits Monday against one Catholic high school in Baltimore County. Robert K. Jenner, managing partner at Baltimore-based Jenner Law, called on Moore to reject the bill that was rushed through the final days of the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session. 'It breaks the faith with the thousands of survivors who have come forward believing that the state of Maryland was on their side and ready to hold perpetrators accountable,' said Jenner, one of roughly a half-dozen attorneys who spoke during a news conference at his firm's Baltimore office. But a Moore spokesperson said Monday that while the governor 'acknowledges the trauma survivors of child sexual assault have endured and the difficult and unprecedented circumstances surrounding this legislation,' a veto is off the table. 'The General Assembly has carefully crafted legislation that will continue to allow the survivors to seek justice while preserving the long-term fiscal stability of the state,' the spokesperson said in an emai. 'The governor will sign this legislation.' House Bill 1378 passed both the House and Senate by veto-proof majorities. While the attorneys decried the passage of House Bill 1378 , they said they are not waiting for Moore to veto the bill. The attorneys — part of a coalition calling themselves the Calvert Hall Lawyers Working Group — announced roughly two dozen new lawsuits against Towson-based Calvert Hall College High School. Emily C. Malarkey, a partner at Baltimore-based Bekman, Marder, Hopper, Malarkey & Perlin, said the new lawsuits represent what could potentially be a rush to file before the new law — with its lower caps on damages — takes effect. 'We're working 24/7, for the next six weeks to get all our clients' cases filed,' Malarkey said in an interview. 'If we wait until June 1, their cap is going to drop in half, and we're not going to do that to them. We're going to work our butts off to get it done.' Jenner praised the 2023 law, sponsored by Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles) as well as a Supreme Court of Maryland ruling this year that held the law was constitutional. Wilson also sponsored HB1378, out of concern that potential settlements under the 2023 law could bust the state budget. It's legislation that Jenner and other attorneys opposed. 'Finally, we thought we had a path to justice but here we are. A landmark victory for survivors that we thought ended the question has now been gutted. But this isn't about budget math. This is about moral clarity. This is about a promise that the state of Maryland made and is now poised to break,' Jenner said. The 2025 bill as passed 'slashes the amount survivors can recover by jury, verdict or by settlement, and it limits them to a single payment when they have been abused several times, multiple times by the same perpetrator,' he said. Malarkey's firm on Monday filed a lawsuit on behalf of 14 clients against Towson-based Calvert Hall College High School. The lawsuit also names as defendants the Brothers of the Christian Schools, District of Eastern North America, and the Christian Brothers of Frederick. Both entities were responsible for managing and operating Calvert Hall. The 45-page filing includes allegations of abuse against four members of the clergy — Brother Geoffrey Xavier Langan and the Revs. Laurence Brett, Jerome Toohey and Francis LeFevre. All four were named in a 463-page report on child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore released in 2023 by the Office of the Attorney General. Stephen E. Arnold, a lay science instructor at Calvert Hall is also named as an abuser in the lawsuit filed Monday. The claims filed Monday would come in under the current law, which said victims of abuse in private institutions could file a lawsuit at any time, and capped damages at $1.5 million per 'occurrence' — a term over which plaintiff's attorneys and some lawmakers disagree. For state and local government entities, the cap was set at $890,000 per occurrence. Assuming Moore makes good on his promise to sign HB1378 into law, claims filed after June 1 would be capped at $700,000 for private institutions and $400,000 for public institutions The changes came after legislative analysts warned of the potential 'enormous liability' stemming from claims against state institutions. Those analysts said in January that there could be as many as 3,500 claims. And while they did not provide a potential price tag, conservative estimates initially set the amount at about $3.1 billion — an amount roughly equal to the structural budget deficit. The actual amount of potential liability is not fully known. The Child Victim's Act, passed in 2023, was the result of a decade of effort to allow victims — who were children at the time they were assaulted — to file lawsuits that were otherwise time-barred. At the time, most of the focus was on survivors of abuse who made allegations against the Catholic Church. The bill was praised at the time by Moore and Attorney General Anthony Brown (D). But the potential for liabilities grew as attorneys for those with claims argued that 'per occurrence' meant each individual instance of sexual assault. Others argued for a more conservative definition that would combine assaults based on other factors. The result would be a reduction of the total amount a jury could potentially award. The Archdiocese of Baltimore quickly sought bankruptcy protection before the law could take effect in October 2023. At the same time, cases against the state were also making their way to the courthouse. One group of attorneys earlier this year told Maryland Matters they were representing roughly 4,500 claimants. If each one had just one claim of abuse and received the maximum award, the potential liability to the state is an estimated $4 billion. 'I could have never comprehended 4,500 claimants, and it's an open door with another 1,500 in the hopper,' Wilson said in an interview earlier this year. He wondered aloud about 'how much are taxpayers going to be on the hook for this?' Those attorneys said many clients have more than one allegation of abuse. They also said that they have been in settlement discussions with the attorney general's office. Those attorneys declined to provide details on the amount they were seeking, but said it was less than even what legislative analysts hinted at in January. The Maryland attorneys are not the first to move cases to the courthouse. Levy Konigsberg, a New York-based law firm, filed lawsuits on behalf of 221 men and women the day after Maryland lawmakers adjourned the 2025 legislative session. All of the cases focus on allegations of sexual abuse at 15 state juvenile detention facilities. The lawsuits bring the number of claims to roughly 2,000, according to the firm. Levy Konigsberg represents about 1,000 people who allege they were sexually abused while in state custody. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
CBS News
30-01-2025
- General
- CBS News
Maryland pilot explains why Reagan National Airport is tough for pilots and air traffic control
BALTIMORE -- Bill Pearce, a commercial pilot from Maryland who has worked for several major airlines, says flying in and out of Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. is tough for pilots and air traffic control. On Wednesday night, an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers, crashed midair with an Army Black Hawk helicopter. Officials believe there were no survivors, marking the deadliest American aviation crash in 16 years. "DCA is a very, very unique airport in that it is one of the biggest airports by volume of any airport in the country," Pearce told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "The traffic is mind-boggling. It really is a beehive of activity. It's a tough airport…for pilots and for air traffic control." Pearce explained that this deadly crash could impact future flying in the United States. "How aircraft communicate with other aircraft, be it military, be it civilian, I think that's going to be huge," Pearce said. But Pearce believes the U.S. still has the safest flying in the world—and travelers should not be scared to fly—and fly out of Reagan National Airport. "Absolutely not," Pearce said. "Everybody is going to rush to judgment. Everybody is going to Monday morning quarterback. If you look at any given time, the number of aircraft that are in the sky, it will blow your mind—thousands of aircraft and millions of people are in the air every day. No, the flying public should have no concern whatsoever." WJZ cameras captured rescue teams at work in the Potomac River near a piece of the fuselage of American Airlines Flight 5342 as recovery efforts continued throughout the day Thursday. Heartbreak from some of the first passengers to fly out of Reagan national airport this morning @wjz — Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) January 30, 2025 Veteran aviation attorney on concerns Keith Franz, a Towson-based attorney at the Azrael, Franz, Schwab, Lipowitz and Solter law firm, believes there will be changes because of the congested airspace at Reagan Airport. "I think the biggest concern is when airports reach maximum capacity, there has to be some way to stop future expansion," Franz said. "It does take an experienced pilot to fly in and out of Reagan." Franz says that measures must be taken and reviewed because of the potential consequences. "It's a rare occurrence, but regrettably, if there is a mishap, it's not survivable," Franz said. "The consequences are grave." Additionally, according to reports, a single air traffic controller was handling both planes and helicopters the night of the collision—a job normally reserved for two controllers. Franz said the regional jet that crashed into the Potomac River is a "workhorse." "It's highly reliable," Franz said. "It is used routinely in the U.S. This was built about 20 years ago—not particularly old for an aircraft of this nature. It has been used routinely throughout the U.S. with no problems. I don't believe they're going to find any mechanical problems with the aircraft, but judgment and awareness of the surroundings may be factors that will come into play." Franz said families of the victims will have many questions, "The main one being why—how could this have happened? And the main answer is this is likely going to come down to some human component, some misjudgment." Senator offers condolences U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, called for a transparent investigation and told WJZ, "This was clearly an avoidable collision." "The public needs the confidence that all the facts are on the table and that any conclusions will be independent," Van Hollen told WJZ. The senator also spoke about the victims. "We've lost Marylanders. We've lost people from all over the country who were on this flight, and my heart goes out to them," he said.
