The Robing Room

Hon. J. Frederick Motz	See Rating Details
District Judge	See Comments
D.Md.
Average Rating:5.7 - 25 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

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*Temperament:	(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
*Scholarship:	(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
*Industriousness:	(1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
*Ability to Handle Complex Litigation:	(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
*Punctuality:	(1=Chronic`y Late,10=Always on Time)
*Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation:	(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
*Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation:	(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Flexibility In Scheduling	(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)
General Inclination Regarding Bail	(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Pre-Trial:	(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Civil Settlement Discussions:	(1=Least Involved,10=Most Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Trial:	(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases, Sentencing:	(1=Most Lenient,10=Most Harsh)
Typical Discount Off Guidelines for Cooperators:	(1=10%,10=100%)
Items marked with (*) are averaged into the displayed overall rating

Comments

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What others have said about Hon. J. Frederick Motz

Comments

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: 24789
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Why is he still on the bench. He never should have been sworn in as a judge. Lacks judicial temperament. Thinks he is God. Overrated by clowns who want his approval. Unqualified. Incompetent. Belongs off the bench.

Other

Comment #: 23959
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge has no business handling litigation. His recent decision regarding the punishment for the thug that punctured a hose being used to restrict the flames at the Baltimore City CVS is ridiculous. One million dollar fine? Seriously? This thug will never pay a penny! Let him out with time served? This judge should not be presiding over cases that he doesn't understand.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 23578
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Motz has aged into a temperamental, impetuous and slow-witted defender of the government. He alternately screams at lawyers and laughs at them in front of juries. He often seems not to know where he is, and his rulings in evidence are completely random. His time has come and long gone. Sadly, the federal bench is discredited by his continuing service.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 21422
Rating:6.1

Comments:
He is a strongly pro-government former U.S. Attorney who thinks it is his job to help the government. He is generally fair in his sentencing, but he is way too harsh on white-collar criminal sentences. He is a good civil judge.

Litigant

Comment #: 20958
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Motz didn't give my case the required attention. He was partial, impatient and dismissive. Judge Motz treated me and my case most rudely. He upheld the antics and trickery of the corporation's attorneys by saying they didn't need to provide truthful answers until after discovery closed in my case, even after he refused to uphold a motion to compel that we filed in seeking the truth. He singlehandedly prevented my chances to achieve justice in his courtroom when he acted as the judge and the jury. He is, in my opinion, a judge who needs to retire completely because he protects the interests of big business and government at the expense of the very citizens he is sworn to protect. He should no longer serve on the bench because he is a disservice to everyday men and women seeking the justice he robs them of with his faulty, rapid and flimsy rulings.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 19596
Rating:9.7

Comments:
When I told my co-counsel we had Judge Motz, he groaned. He was wrong, we had the best judge for our case. His written opinion proved me right. He reads the pleading, understands the facts and does what justice needs.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: 11908
Rating:8.5

Comments:
I just came across this site, and I was shocked by some of these comments. I'm a plaintiffs' class action lawyer, and was involved in the Mutual Fund Market Timing litigation before Judge Motz (there was at least a dozen plaintiffs' firms in that case, so I'm not revealing too much). At least in that case, Judge Motz was courteous, flexible, professional, knowlegeable, and a general pleasure to appear before. I saw no signs of bias toward the corporate defendants, and, if anything, note that he sometimes made pro-plaintiff rulings that he knew would likely not be upheld by the 4th Circuit, but that in the meantime would help move settlement talks along.

As a general matter, I'm one of the first to decry the "corporate wh-res" on the federal bench. I just didn't see Judge Motz as one of them.