UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

WILL ABERCROMBIE, JR.,

Plaintiff-Appellant,

v.

No. 98-1701

NATIONWIDE MUTUAL INSURANCE

COMPANY,

Defendant-Appellee.

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the District of Maryland, at Baltimore.

Joseph H. Young, Senior District Judge.

(CA-97-2557-Y)

Submitted: December 8, 1998

Decided: January 12, 1999

Before ERVIN, WILKINS, and KING, Circuit Judges.

_________________________________________________________________

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

_________________________________________________________________

COUNSEL

Will Abercrombie, Jr., Edgewood, Maryland, for Appellant. Patricia

McHugh Lambert, HODES, ULMAN, PESSIN & KATZ, P.A., Towson, Maryland, for Appellee.

_________________________________________________________________

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See

Local Rule 36(c).
OPINION

PER CURIAM:

Appellant, Will Abercrombie, Jr., appeals the district court order

granting the Defendant's motion for summary judgment in his Maryland state law action for fraud and negligent misrepresentation. On

appeal, Abercrombie argues that the district court erred in finding that

he failed to create a genuine issue of fact regarding whether the events

giving rise to his action were under the speakers' exclusive control.

He also contends that the court erred in finding that he failed to create

a genuine issue of fact regarding whether his supervisors had reason

to know and negligently failed to inform him of an upcoming policy

decision. Finding no error, we affirm.

Abercrombie worked for Defendant Nationwide Mutual Insurance

Company as a trial attorney from 1979 until his termination in April

1997, with one brief hiatus. It is undisputed that Abercrombie was an

at-will employee. The dispute concerns a change in Nationwide's policy regarding outside practice of law by its trial attorneys. During all

relevant periods, Abercrombie had an outside practice of law. Prior

to 1989, each regional Nationwide office determined the outside practice policies for its attorneys. Abercrombie's office, the Maryland

office, permitted its attorneys to engage in an outside practice.

In 1989, Nationwide re-organized its trial attorney offices and

announced their organization into the Nationwide Trial Division.

Supervision of the trial attorneys was by the national corporate headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. In 1990, Nationwide announced a policy

prohibiting outside private practice by its attorneys, but permitted

attorneys to submit requests for an exemption to the policy. Abercrombie applied for and received an exemption from the policy,

which is what he refers to as his grandfather status. While Abercrombie does not have a document evidencing his status, he stated in his

deposition that his status was communicated to him by Terry Fontane

and John Flynn, two of Abercrombie's supervisors.

Nationwide changed its policy regarding outside private practice in

1995 to prohibit all outside practice by its attorneys, including those

attorneys who received exemptions from the prior policy. John Jones,

 2
vice-president of the Trial Division, sent Abercrombie a letter on September 4, 1996, stating that Abercrombie's exemption status was

being unilaterally rescinded by Nationwide, and that all outside practice must be concluded by December 31, 1997. Abercrombie complained of the new policy to Nationwide and received no relief. On

November 4, 1996, Abercrombie informed Nationwide that he

intended to resign effective December 31, 1997. Abercrombie then

failed to comply with new Trial Division guidelines regarding timekeeping, record-keeping, and file documentation. Abercrombie's

supervisors made several memoranda documenting Abercrombie's

failure to comply with new requirements, particularly time-keeping

and file documentation. Abercrombie stated that because he was leaving Nationwide's employment, he did not intend to follow the new

guidelines. Nationwide terminated his employment on April 10, 1997.

We review summary judgment orders de novo. See Miller v.

Leathers, 913 F.2d 1085, 1087 (4th Cir. 1990) (en banc). Under

Maryland law, a fraud or negligent misrepresentation claim must be

based upon a false statement concerning a present or past event. See

Weisman v. Connors, 540 A.2d 783, 796 (Md. 1988). A statement

concerning future events, such as Nationwide's statements to Abercrombie regarding his ability to continue his private practice of law,

may support a claim for fraud or negligent misrepresentation if it

relates to matters within the speaker's exclusive control and is not

related to an expectation or prediction of future events. See Gross v.

Sussex, Inc., 630 A.2d 1156, 1169 (Md. 1993).

It is clear from the record that Fontane and Flynn's statements

about Abercrombie's grandfather status were not false when made

because all parties agree that Abercrombie received the exemption

and he continued his private practice. In order for Fontane and

Flynn's statements regarding the grandfather status to be actionable,

Fontane and Flynn must have had exclusive control over the future

outside practice policy. Abercrombie recognized that final policy

decisions were made by the national officers of the Trial Division.

Abercrombie's grandfather status was revoked not by Fontane and

Flynn, but by John Jones, a vice-president of the Trial Division. It is

undisputed that Fontane and Flynn did not have exclusive control

over the continuation of Abercrombie's grandfather status. Therefore,

the statements are not actionable.

 3
Abercrombie's remaining issue that the district court erred in finding that Fontane and Flynn did not know or negligently failed to

inform him that the private practice policy would be changed in the

future is without merit. Abercrombie stated in his deposition that neither he nor Fontane and Flynn had any knowledge that his grandfather

status would be revoked. In his motion for reconsideration, Abercrombie pointed to the note of a management official on July 9, 1990,

that discusses options regarding the private practice policy. The informal note on a meeting reflects nothing more than the possibility that

the private practice policy may again be changed. This is the only

indication in the record that the private practice policy may be

changed at the time of Abercrombie receiving grandfather status. It

does not support Abercrombie's contention that Fontane and Flynn

knew about an upcoming change and negligently failed to inform him

of the change.

We therefore affirm the order. We dispense with oral argument

because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the

materials before the court and argument would not aid the decisional

process.

AFFIRMED

 4