In an unusual but important foray into the plaintiff side, IADC member Peggy Fonshell Ward, a partner at Downs Ward Bender Herzog & Kintigh, P.A., was asked two years ago to be Assistant Counsel to the Maryland Attorney General, to represent the State of Maryland in connection with the M/V Dali allision with the Franklin Scott Key Bridge in March 2024. The collapse of the bridge caused six deaths and two injuries, vast economic damage to the State, and an ongoing disruption of the Mid-Atlantic interstate transportation system. Peggy was part of the team that entered aggressive litigation to secure the responsibility for the disaster, and the State has announced a $2.25 billion settlement with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., the owner and operator of the M/V Dali. In addition to being an integral part of the trial team, Peggy was one of the three lawyers who negotiated the settlement for the State, in what has been declared “the largest legal recovery in maritime history.” Peggy said, “this resolution is critical to the State and all its citizens in moving forward from this catastrophe, and I am proud to be a part of the effort to recover what will be necessary to build a new bridge and restore the economic vitality of the port community.”