Opinion ID: 1909122
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Qualifying Clauses

Text: We commence our analysis by utilizing the generally recognized rule of statutory construction that a qualifying clause ordinarily is confined to the immediately preceding words or phraseparticularly in the absence of a comma before the qualifying clause.... Sullivan v. Dixon, 280 Md. 444, 451, 373 A.2d 1245, 1249 (1977); Annapolis Market Place, 369 Md. at 707, 802 A.2d at 1040; Md. Dep't. of Env't. v. Underwood, 368 Md. 160, 175, 792 A.2d 1130, 1139 (2002); Schmerling v. Injured Workers' Ins. Fund, 368 Md. 434, 452 n. 9, 795 A.2d 715, 725 n. 9 (2002); but see Employment Sec. Admin. v. Weimer, 285 Md. 96, 102, 400 A.2d 1101, 1104-05 (1979) (noting that this is not an absolute rule, but an aid to determine the intent of the legislative body enacting the rule). In Underwood, the Court analyzed Md.Code (1982, 1996 Repl.Vol., 2001 Supp.), § 9-276(a) of the Environment Article, which provided that all expenditures ... by the Department ... shall be reimbursed to the Department ... by the owner or operator of the site or any other person who caused the ... violation of this subtitle. [13] Underwood, 368 Md. at 174, 792 A.2d at 1138. Interpreting the language of the statute, Judge Harrell, writing for the Court, stated: Respondents' interpretation of this section would have the clause `who caused the ... violation of this subtitle' modify all three categories of potential responsible parties described in the statute, i.e. the `owner,' the `operator,' and `any other person.' That interpretation, however, ignores the clear meaning of the structure and relationship of the words as they appear in the statute.... Id. at 175, 792 A.2d at 1139. More specifically, the Court determined that such interpretation would disregard the rule described in Sullivan and require that, in order to be found liable under the statute, the owner or operator must also have caused the violation. The Court then explained: The language of § 9-276 does not contain commas setting apart the three categories of potential responsible parties and the modifying clause (e.g. `the owner or operator of the site, or any other person, who caused the [violation]...'), nor does it explicitly apply the modifying clause to all three parties. In the absence of such context, it is clear that the modifying clause `who caused the [violation] ...' was intended to apply only to `any other person.' Consequently, the language of § 9-276(a) mandates that liability for reimbursement to the [Department] may be placed on any of 3 categories of persons who violate the subtitle: (1) an owner of a site [where the violation occurred]; (2) an operator of a site [where the violation occurred]; or (3) any other person who caused the [violation]. Id. at 176, 792 A.2d at 1139.