Hancock v. Mayor & Cty. Cncl. of Balt.

Summary

The court affirmed dismissal of claims arising from a worker’s death at an excavation site. It held that a hirer of an independent contractor owes no negligent-hiring duty to an employee of that contractor injured by the contractor’s negligence in performing the contracted work, and that a contractor or subcontractor owes fellow workers a duty concerning dangerous conditions only when it created or controlled those conditions. The court also concluded that the allegations did not establish that the subcontractor created or controlled the excavation hazard.