ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A man stabbed 17 times during attacks inside a Hagerstown state prison will see multimillion-dollar jury awards reduced to $400,000 after Maryland’s highest court ruled that the state’s liability cap applied.
The Maryland Supreme Court issued its opinion June 23, 2026, in a lawsuit brought by Michael Young, who suffered serious injuries after he was attacked by other incarcerated individuals while housed at Maryland Correctional Training Center.
Young was treated for 17 stab wounds and two facial bone fractures after the attacks, which occurred first in his cell and then in a recreation hall bathroom area, the court opinion states.
A jury previously found Sgt. Jeremy Wright and Warden Richard Dovey negligent and awarded Young $1 million in damages against each of them. The jury also found the State of Maryland liable on a separate claim alleging a pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct by state employees and awarded Young $2 million on that claim.
The case stemmed from allegations that Young was attacked after returning to the correctional facility following a prior complaint that he had been sexually harassed by an officer. Young reported safety concerns before the attack, including in a formal complaint and through a letter his wife sent to the warden, the opinion states.
The opinion describes the first attack as occurring inside Young’s cell after his cell door reopened during a recreation period. A group of several incarcerated individuals rushed in and attacked him with knives and a combination lock tied inside a sock.
Young escaped into the hallway and then entered the recreation hall, where he was attacked again in a bathroom area. The second attack involved no weapons, according to the opinion.
The Supreme Court ruled that the Circuit Court for Baltimore County erred by entering judgments against Wright and Dovey individually because the jury did not find that either acted with malice or gross negligence. Under the Maryland Tort Claims Act, state personnel are immune from tort liability when acting within the scope of their public duties without malice or gross negligence.
Because of that, the court held that judgment should have been entered against only the State of Maryland.
The court also rejected Young’s argument that the attacks should be treated as two separate incidents for purposes of the state’s liability cap. The opinion said a court may find multiple incidents or occurrences only if a jury has made the necessary factual findings that multiple negligent acts separately caused specific injuries or damages.
Because the jury did not make those findings, the Supreme Court ruled the case must be treated as a single incident or occurrence under the Maryland Tort Claims Act, reducing the state’s liability to $400,000.
The Supreme Court also vacated part of an Appellate Court ruling that had addressed whether a so-called Longtin claim may be brought against the State of Maryland. A Longtin claim alleges that a government entity allowed a pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct by its employees. The issue was moot in this case because Young did not challenge the Appellate Court’s finding that he had failed to present sufficient evidence to support that claim, the court said.
The case was remanded with instructions for the circuit court to enter judgment against only the State of Maryland in the amount of $400,000.
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Should’ve got nothings but life in prison….