Maryland Supreme Court issues no opinion on 2021 Towson University shooting case

By Sarah Sternhagen, Editor-in-Chief

The Supreme Court of Maryland dismissed Towson University’s liability case over a student’s injuries during a 2021 shooting, saying the court shouldn’t have taken the case on at all.

The court heard arguments on Catherine Torney v. Towson University only two weeks ago. Torney sued Towson in 2023 after she was injured in a 2021 shooting on campus, claiming university police failed to protect her. Baltimore County Circuit Court and the Maryland Appellate Court concluded that Towson wasn’t liable, saying the university “did not owe Ms. Torney a duty of care.”

The Supreme Court’s tossing of the case means the lower rulings in Towson’s favor will stand.

In the short per curiam order issued Tuesday, all seven justices agreed they had taken on the case “improvidently,” or when they shouldn’t have. They ordered Towson to pay for the costs of the appeal process.

Joseph Cammarata, Torney’s lawyer, said he was surprised and shocked at the court’s decision to not rule on the case.

The Maryland Attorney General’s office, which represented Towson in the case, declined to comment on the case being tossed out.

Torney was shot during a pop-up party in Freedom Square. The crowd grew from 100 to 400 people from 11 p.m. to midnight, and four Towson University police officers were present. At one point, two of the TUPD officers recommended that the supervising officer take action to shut the party down, but the event continued, according to court documents. A gunman opened fire around 2 a.m., injuring Torney and two people not affiliated with the university. 

The shooter was never found, according to the Baltimore County State’s Attorney Office.