Court Opinion

ID: 9648622
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 14:30:53.292691+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:12:04.325391
License: Public Domain

RAKER, J.,
dissenting:
The majority apparently believes that if an issue is “truly important” to the outcome of a case, this Court should deviate from its longstanding practice of not considering an issue unless it is raised in a certiorari petition.1 See Maj. Op. at 185 *199n. 1, 872 A.2d at 49 n. 1. I disagree, and would abide by the principle we have followed consistently since becoming a certiorari court more than three decades ago.
Our jurisprudence on this issue is very clear. See, e.g., Finucan v. Board of Physicians Quality Assurance, 380 Md. 577, 589, 846 A.2d 377, 384 (2004) (holding that petitioner waived constitutional and procedural issues by not raising them in the Petition for Writ of Certiorari and Court will not consider the issues); Calvert Joint v. Snider, 373 Md. 18, 31 n. 8, 816 A.2d 854, 861 n. 8 (2003); Middle States v. Thomas, 340 Md. 699, 702, 668 A.2d 5, 6-7 (1995); Am. Motorists Ins. Co. v. ARTRA Group, Inc., 338 Md. 560, 568-569, 659 A.2d 1295, 1299 (1995) (noting that choice-of-law issue was not within the certiorari question and was therefore not properly before Court); McElroy v. State, 329 Md. 136, 146, 617 A.2d 1068, 1073 (1993) (noting that, because petitioner’s first argument was not in his Petition for Writ of Certiorari, the issue was not properly before Court); State v. Lancaster, 332 Md. 385, 402 n. 12, 631 A.2d 453, 462 n. 12 (1993); Batson v. Shiflett, 325 Md. 684, 700-01, 602 A.2d 1191, 1199-1200 (1992); Ungar v. Handelsman, 325 Md. 135, 147, 599 A.2d 1159, 1164-65 (1992); Gonzales v. State, 322 Md. 62, 69, 585 A.2d 222, 226 (1991); Stinnett v. Cort Furniture, 315 Md. 448, 452 n. 2, 554 A.2d 1226, 1227 n. 2 (1989); Wagner v. Doehring, 315 Md. 97, 103 n. 4, 553 A.2d 684, 687 n. 4 (1989); Neal v. Fisher, 312 Md. 685, 690-91 n. 5, 541 A.2d 1314, 1317 n. 5 (1988); Maus v. State, 311 Md. 85, 106, 532 A.2d 1066, 1077 (1987); Allgood v. State, 309 Md. 58, 82, 522 A.2d 917, 929 (1987); Wright v. State, 307 Md. 552, 587, 515 A.2d 1157, 1175 (1986); Md.-Nat’l Cap. P. & P. Comm’n v. Crawford, 307 Md. 1, 36-37, 511 A.2d 1079, 1097-98 (1986); Clark v. State, 306 Md. 483, 491-92, 510 A.2d 243, 247 (1986); Fred W. Allnutt, Inc. v. Comm’r Lab. & Ind., 289 Md. 35, 39 n. 2, 421 A.2d 1360, 1362 n. 2 (1980); McMorris *200v. State, 277 Md. 62, 70-71 n. 4, 355 A.2d 438, 443 n. 4 (1976); Walston v. Sun Cab Co., 267 Md. 559, 569, 298 A.2d 391, 397 (1973); Maryland State Police v. Zeigler, 330 Md. 540, 562-63, 625 A.2d 914, 925 (1993); Clark v. Elza, 286 Md. 208, 219 n. 4, 406 A.2d 922, 928 n. 4 (1979); Huger v. State, 285 Md. 347, 354, 402 A.2d 880, 885 (1979); Mazor v. State, Dep’t of Correction, 279 Md. 355, 370-71 n. 8, 369 A.2d 82, 92 n. 8 (1977).
While Rule 8-131(b) contains the language that this Court “ordinarily” will consider only an issue raised in a certiorari petition, a cross-petition, or an order of this Court, indicating exceptions to the general rule, it should not be interpreted as enabling this Court to consider an issue not raised merely because it is “important” to the decision. As Judge Eldridge explained in his dissent in State v. Broberg, 342 Md. 544, 573, 677 A.2d 602, 616 (1996):
“The word ‘ordinarily’ does indicate that there are exceptions. Nevertheless, neither the use of the word ‘ordinarily’ in Rule 8-131(b) nor the principle embodied in the rule, has been treated as granting a general discretion to reach an issue whenever the Court so desires in the interests of ‘fairness.’ If it did, the amendment to Rule 8-131(b), adopting an express exception for the ‘harmless error’ issue, would have been unnecessary. Instead, we have held that the ‘exceptions’ to the principle embodied in Rule 8-131 (b) are limited to ‘extraordinary circumstances.’ ” (Footnotes and citations omitted).
I am not persuaded that this case fits into our accepted category of “extraordinary circumstances.” I therefore would not consider the timeliness issue upon which the majority apparently bases its decision.
The only issue properly before us is the question of whether agreements such as the one at issue must be presented to and approved by the Orphans’ Court. I agree with the majority that if agreements of this type are to be implemented as part of the Orphans’ Court proceeding, through a deed from the personal representative pursuant to an approved administra*201tion account, then they must be attached to that account or otherwise made part of the Orphans’ Court record. See Maj. Op. at 196-97, 872 A.2d at 56. I also agree that the administration account in this case did not comply with these requirements. See Maj. Op. at 197, 872 A.2d at 56. Because the Court of Special Appeals held to the contrary, and because it was this holding, and this holding alone, that was raised in the Petition for Writ of Certiorari, I would reverse the judgment.
Accordingly, I respectfully dissent.

. Harmless error is the one exception to this principle, and that exception is contained expressly in Md. Rule 8—131(b). Before Rule 8-*199131(b) was amended to include this exception, this Court would not consider harmless error arguments unless raised in a certiorari petition, cross-petition, or order of this Court. See Clark v. State, 306 Md. 483, 492, 510 A.2d 243, 247 (1986); Coleman v. State, 281 Md. 538, 547, 380 A.2d 49, 55 (1977).