MD Legal Briefs: August 31, 2005

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Aug 31, 2005 by Daily Record Staff

Agreement in store

Federated Department Stores Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio, agreed to keep several department stores in Maryland operating when it acquires St. Louis-based May Co., Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. announced yesterday. Federated owns Macy's and Bloomingdale's, while May owns the Hecht's and Lord & Taylor department store brands. There are four malls in Maryland with both a Hecht's and a Macy's: White Marsh, Owings Mills, Marley Station and Wheaton. Under the agreement, Federated and May will sell their stores to another department store company, or to a mall developer that will continue to use the store for a department store, even if it gets a higher bid for the stores for some other use. The sales are subject to a minimum bid to be set by an independent appraiser selected by Federated, but which must be approved by Curran and the attorneys general of California, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, who also joined in the agreement.

Moose official charged

The former administrator of the Funkstown Moose Lodge has been charged with felony theft in the alleged embezzlement of about $36,000 from the organization. David Paul Brandenburg, 52, of Hagerstown, accepted membership dues but printed fraudulent membership cards, according to Washington County Sheriff's Department Investigator Chris Weaver. Records from Moose International indicated that those individuals hadn't paid their dues, Weaver said. Brandenburg was released Thursday on an unsecured $30,000 bond, according to a Washington Count District Court bond commissioner. According to The Associated Press, Brandenburg didn't return a call to his home Monday.

Firm's charitable work

In observance of its 75th anniversary, the Baltimore law firm of Tydings & Rosenberg said it will donate diapers, wipes and other baby supplies and necessities to the House of Ruth, a domestic violence center and shelter for battered women and their children in Baltimore. The materials were obtained from funds raised during a denim day event that employees of the law firm held on April 15; the date was chosen because April was National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Tydings & Rosenberg will hand over the supplies to the House of Ruth on Sept. 7, the law firm said in a news release.