Article: Ground-rent owners rush to file suits: Flurry of ejectment cases logged before law changes.

Byline: June Arney

Jul. 1--Even though a state law ending ground-rent ejectments takes effect today, Baltimore residents will for years face the prospect of having their homes seized by investors or being hit with large fees over small unpaid land debts.

About 775 cases -- some dating to 2003 -- are pending in Baltimore Circuit Court, including more than 300 new ones filed in June as ground-rent owners rushed to get cases logged in under the old law. There were 154 lawsuits filed on Friday alone.

The Baltimore sheriff's department has scheduled ejectments into August and says it has no choice but to follow the old law permitting them.

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