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JD Howlette Law files appeal in federal equal protection lawsuit

Appeal filed with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals seeks to vindicate small business owner's civil rights.

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June 22, 2023

RICHMOND, Virginia - Today we announced the filing of appeal in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the improper dismissal of our client's case by the lower court without considering any of the evidence gathered over the six-month discovery period. 


The gathered evidence proves Prince George’s County Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) erected an unlawful barrier that prevented small business owners like our client from participating in the permitting process on an equal playing field in relation to large, politically connected businesses. In the appellate brief, we argue that the lower court should have, at a minimum, afforded our client the opportunity to present the evidence gathered in discovery that he invested substantial resources in obtaining. But more importantly, we contend that the lower court’s holding directly conflicts with numerous Supreme Court cases that strongly support allowing our client’s equal protection challenge to be heard on the merits.


Read our Appellant Brief.


#AppellateAdvocacy #CivilRights #EqualTreatment #JDHowletteLaw

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