BLAIR LEE III, Acting Governor                         1833

MARYLAND, That section(s) of the Code of Public Local Laws
of Maryland be repealed, amended, or enacted to read as
follows :

Article 4 - Baltimore City

9-10.

(a)         In addition to the protections afforded to the
tenant by section 9-9, [no] A landlord may NOT evict a
tenant of any residential property in Baltimore City OR
INCREASE THE RENT OR DECREASE THE SERVICES TO WHICH THE
TENANT IS ENTITLED for any of the following reasons:

(1)         Solely because the tenant OR HIS AGENT has
complained, in good faith, to the landlord [of] OR TO ANY
PUBLIC AGENCY CONCERNING THE LANDLORD TENANT'S RIGHTS OR
CONCERNING specific housing deficiencies; or

(2)         Solely because the tenant is a member of
any tenant's organization; or

(3)         Solely because the tenant files suit
against the landlord; or

(4)         Solely because THE tenant consults an
attorney on any matter involving tenant's rights.

(b)        Evictions described in subsection (a) shall be
called "retaliatory evictions".

(c)         If, in any eviction proceeding, the judgment is
in favor of the tenant for any of the aforementioned
defenses, the court may enter judgment for reasonable
attorney's fees and court costs against the landlord.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act
shall take effect July 1, 1978.

Approved May 16, 1978.

CHAPTER 577

(House Bill 148)

AN ACT concerning

Assessing Authorities

FOR the purpose of specifying that, for purposes of certain
assessment decisions and appeals from them, the
Supervisors of Assessments and the Property Tax
Assessment Appeal Boards are respectively the initial
and the final assessing authorities; and renumbering