Consent Withdrawn; Attorney Reinstated
The Maryland Supreme Court has ordered the reinstatement of an attorney suspended on consent
Stephen L. Snyder, the respondent, has filed his motion for appropriate relief seeking reinstatement to the practice of law after he was suspended from practice by joint motion in October 2020. At that time, Mr. Snyder consented to his suspension from the practice of law. In his motion for appropriate relief, he has now withdrawn that consent. Bar Counsel has taken no position on Mr. Snyder’s request for reinstatement, and the Petition for Disciplinary or Remedial Action remains pending. Based on the information provided by the parties, Mr. Snyder has not been found guilty or convicted of a serious crime, such as would be required to impose an immediate temporary suspension under Rule 19-738, nor has discipline been imposed against Mr. Snyder in any other jurisdiction, nor has a hearing judge made findings of fact and conclusions of law concerning the allegations of the petition for this Court to review. This Court therefore currently lacks a basis to continue Mr. Snyder’s suspension.
The Maryland Daily Record had reported on the paucity of publicly-available information concerning criminal charges
Snyder’s criminal case is consequential on many levels: The 2020 indictment leveled serious charges against one of Baltimore’s best-known medical malpractice attorneys and involves claims that Snyder threatened to embarrass the University of Maryland Medical System if it didn’t offer him a $25 million consulting deal.
Federal prosecutors claim the consulting deal was a sham and that Snyder did not intend to do any work for the money; instead, he was attempting to extort UMMS with claims that its flagship hospital’s transplant program had made dangerous mistakes.
UMMS officials reached out to federal authorities after Snyder made the ask in 2018 and ultimately recorded a meeting at which Snyder explained the deal and said he would be “conflicted out” of future lawsuits against UMMS if the system paid him.
“I don’t care if I don’t do anything (for the money),” Snyder said, according to the indictment.
(Mike Frisch)