⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

Real court arguments, crisp audio, with context.

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Deanna Effland v. Baltimore Police Department — 4th Cir. (Oct 29, 2026)

No. 25-2245 Argued October 29, 2026 Published October 30, 2026

The Fourth Circuit hears Deanna Effland's employment retaliation case against the Baltimore Police Department. Effland alleges that complaints about sexual harassment led to her demotion, lower pay, and unwarranted discipline over a parking-garage accident. She also challenges the city's opposition to her workers' compensation claim. The district court treated the demotion challenge as too late, rejected her remaining claims without a trial, and later refused to reopen the judgment. The main debate concerns the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which treats each paycheck affected by unlawful compensation discrimination as a new event for filing an agency charge. The question is whether that rule reaches her reduced pay from an allegedly retaliatory demotion. The lawyers will also discuss an adoptive admission: a statement a party accepts as true, allowing it to be used against that party. Effland will ask the court to treat the department's silence on some allegations that way; the department will oppose that treatment. Another issue is whether the judge relied on a defense raised too late in briefing.

Deanna Effland v. Baltimore Police Department (No. 25-2245) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, argued October 29, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — official Fourth Circuit recording:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/OAarchive/mp3/25-2245-20261029.mp3
Argument date and issue — official Fourth Circuit calendar:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/cal/internetcalOct272026.pdf
Case background and summary judgment — district court opinion, September 30, 2024:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-mdd-1_20-cv-03503/pdf/USCOURTS-mdd-1_20-cv-03503-4.pdf
Reconsideration ruling — district court order, September 30, 2025:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-mdd-1_20-cv-03503/pdf/USCOURTS-mdd-1_20-cv-03503-5.pdf
Paycheck accrual and filing periods — 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e):https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/2000e-5
Adoptive admissions — Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(2)(B):https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/fre/rule_801
Summary judgment — Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56:https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp/rule_56

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