Delk v. Killen

Delaplaine, J., delivered the opinion of the Court. These actions for malicious prosecution were brought in the Baltimore City Court by John Delk against John Killen and Frank Lamm, of the Baltimore City Fire Department, who had prosecuted him for violations of the Baltimore City Fire Code. In the declaration against Killen, plaintiff alleged that on July 3, 1951, defendant, by charging him maliciously and without probable cause with violation of the City Fire Code, induced Magistrate Samuel J. Gaboff, of the Northeastern Police Station, to sentence plaintiff to imprisonment in the city jail for 60 days; that plaintiff appealed to the. Criminal Court of Baltimore, where the sentence was reduced to 30 days; that plaintiff was released from jail on August 2, 1951, and managed to hobble home, and in spite of his weak physical condition, cleaned up his old house to the best of his ability; nevertheless, on September 11, at the behest of defendant, plaintiff was summoned again to the Police Court and falsely and maliciously accused, and he elected a jury trial, but was held in jail 37 days waiting for the trial; that after a jury trial on October 18 he was released from jail; and that he contracted permanent disease during his imprisonment which has so impaired his health that he has become weak and unable to walk, and by reason of the prosecution he has been damaged to the extent of $25,000 for loss of health and injury to his reputation.

In the declaration against Lamm, plaintiff alleged that his home at 907 North Broadway was broken into and robbed in June, 1951; that defendant took advantage of that occasion to enter the home with a