Chelsea J. Crawford
How Judge Crawford decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
On removed diversity premises-liability and negligence suits, grants a defendant's summary judgment where the plaintiff produces no evidence of a breach of duty — for example, where a hazard was open and obvious and the invitee could have avoided it with ordinary care.
“The court GRANTS Sam's Club's Motion for Summary Judgment.”
Procedural preferences
Enforces arbitration agreements under the FAA, allowing even a non-signatory to compel arbitration under intertwined-claims and agency principles, and staying the case rather than dismissing it.
“Four Season's Motion to Compel Arbitration and Stay Proceedings is GRANTED.”
On class-discovery disputes, permits discovery to proceed but phases it and tailors it to Rule 26 proportionality, starting with the most relevant categories rather than opening full class-wide discovery at once.
“the Court will order discovery as to the putative class to proceed, albeit in phases, given the volume of discovery at issue... at this stage, the Court will limit discovery beyond the named Plaintiffs to only the rental licensure status of Henderson-Webb's other Maryland properties and any failure-to-pay rent actions filed by Blibaum within the timeframes set out in the class definitions.”
Denies motions to stay discovery pending a motion to dismiss and holds belated written discovery objections waived under Rule 33(b)(4).
“For the reasons explained below, Defendants' Motion to Stay is DENIED... I find that Defendants have waived their objections to Plaintiffs' First Set of Discovery Requests.”
Cautions
Requires a movant seeking reconsideration to actually satisfy — or at least address — the Rule 60(b) threshold requirements; a motion that ignores them is denied without reaching the enumerated grounds.
“Having failed to satisfy (or even address) the threshold requirements pursuant to Rule 60(b), I decline to address any of the six enumerated grounds for relief... Plaintiff's Motion is DENIED.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The court GRANTS Sam's Club's Motion for Summary Judgment.”
“it is ORDERED that Walmart's Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 18) is GRANTED.”
“it is ORDERED that Defendant D.R. Horton's Motion for Summary Judgment, ECF No. 26, is GRANTED.”
“Four Season's Motion to Compel Arbitration and Stay Proceedings is GRANTED.”
“Mr. Burgess's Motion to Stay the Matter and to Compel Arbitration is GRANTED.”
“Transdev's Motion for Leave to File Amended Answer and Affirmative Defenses and Counterclaim is GRANTED.”
“WHC's Motion to File Under Seal Exhibit A to Its Opposition to Transdev's Motion for Leave is DENIED AS MOOT.”
“Having failed to satisfy (or even address) the threshold requirements pursuant to Rule 60(b), I decline to address any of the six enumerated grounds for relief... Plaintiff's Motion is DENIED.”
“For the reasons explained below, Defendants' Motion to Stay is DENIED... I find that Defendants have waived their objections to Plaintiffs' First Set of Discovery Requests.”
“the Court will order discovery as to the putative class to proceed, albeit in phases, given the volume of discovery at issue... at this stage, the Court will limit discovery beyond the named Plaintiffs to only the rental licensure status of Henderson-Webb's other Maryland properties and any failure-to-pay rent actions filed by Blibaum within the timeframes set out in the class definitions.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median motion-to-ruling time: 105 days (N = 6).
By consent under 28 U.S.C. 636(c), Crawford handles a general civil mix dominated by diversity tort suits removed from Maryland state court, including premises-liability and motor-vehicle negligence claims against national retailers, alongside commercial-contract and maritime disputes. She also resolves discovery and pretrial matters referred from other judges' cases and handles criminal-duty matters. Her 2026 assignments show the same tort-heavy mix, and too few cases have ended to support representative duration figures.
Put Judge Crawford's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Crawford actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Crawford's own signed orders and cites them.