Maybe.
I am not your lawyer, and don’t want to appear to give you legal advice or inadvertently give you, as a non-client, advice.
Quitting any new job before or while you are on Maryland unemployment – even one that you don’t value or think is “for you” – may be a “voluntary quit” under section 8-1001 of the Maryland Unemployment Insurance Act. A voluntary quit is normally a complete bar to unemployment benefits until the worker gets rehired and earns 15 times his or her weekly benefit amount, unless an exception applies.
If the quit is not truly voluntary as regard management (i.e. “quit or be fired”), that may make § 8-1001 not apply. If the worker has good cause, defined as compelling circumstances in the job itself (not in the worker’s life but in the job) making a quit necessary, that may sometimes provide a complete affirmative defense if proven. If the worker has valid circumstances (imperfect good cause, compelling personal circumstances or a very limited category of military spouse relocation circumstances) that necessitate a quit, those circumstances may allow benefits after a relatively short penalty period.
None of these defenses have within their contemplation “well it was just a [deleted expletive] not-really-for-me job.” If you have a question about this, you should contact an attorney.
I am not telling you what to do, how to interpret what you have already done, or how your specific circumstances and facts fit within this law. You should print out this post, take it to your Maryland attorney (which I am not) and have her or him identify to you how accurate she or he thinks it is and how these provisions of law apply to you in your circumstances. Do not make any decision based on the foregoing, except to consult competent Maryland legal counsel. Call a Maryland attorney and get legal advice in a law office (which I have, but which this blog is not.)
Did you see my suggestion to call a Maryland attorney to get advice? I hope I wasn’t being too subtle.
