(1) Asbestos action

“Asbestos action” means an action seeking money damages for personal injury or death allegedly caused by exposure to asbestos or products containing asbestos. It does not include an action seeking principally equitable relief or seeking principally damages for injury to property or for removal of asbestos or products containing asbestos from property.

(2) SIPD

“SIPD” means the special inactive pretrial docket established pursuant to this Rule.

(1) shall specify the criteria and procedures for placement of an asbestos action on the SIPD and for removal of such an action from that docket;

(2) may permit an asbestos action meeting the criteria for placement on the SIPD to be placed on that docket at any time prior to trial; and

(3) with respect to any action placed on the SIPD, may stay the time for filing responses to the complaint, discovery, and other proceedings until the action is removed from the docket.

(1) The Circuit Administrative Judge for any other judicial circuit, by order, may:

(2) If an action is transferred pursuant to this Rule, the clerk of the circuit court where the action was filed shall transmit the record to the clerk of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, and, except as provided in subsection (c)(3) of this Rule, the action shall thereafter proceed as if initially filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

(3) Upon removal of an action from the SIPD, the Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, with the concurrence of the County Administrative Judge of the circuit court in which the action originally was filed, may re-transfer the action to the circuit court in which it was originally filed and all further proceedings shall take place in that court.