Opinion ID: 1908722
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Applicability of the Maryland Tort Claims Act

Text: The Circuit Court concluded that the MTCA's procedural requirements must be satisfied in order to bring suit on a constitutional tort claim, and found that Benson's and Dean's Article 14 claims were precluded for failure to comply with the MTCA. We hold that the MTCA does not apply to alleged violations of Article 14 of the Declaration of Rights; thus, the trial court was mistaken on this point. In Lee v. Cline, 384 Md. 245, 256, 863 A.2d 297, 304 (2004), this Court held that the MTCA applied to a constitutional tort claim flowing from an asserted search and seizure violation, and extended to state personnel qualified immunity for such torts if committed within the scope of employment and without malice. We do not extend, however, our reasoning in Lee v. Cline so far as to require that all constitutional tort claims must comply with the requirements imposed by the MTCA. Rather, we hold that a claim for violation of Article 14 is not subject to the requirements of the MTCA because a claim under Article 14 is not compensable in monetary damages, see infra Section III(B).