Anderson v$.$ Stop & Shop is a case where the Maryland Court of Special Appeals upheld the jury$$s award of damages. The Court of Special Appeals is an intermediate $($middle level$)$ appellate court in the Maryland state judicial system. $($In December $2022,$ this court was renamed the Appellate Court of Maryland. Cases decided before $12/14/22$ were decided under the name "Maryland Court of Special Appeals"; only cases decided on or after $12/14/22$ use the name "Appellate Court of Maryland."$)$

Anderson, a $42-$year$-$old clerical worker, tripped and fell over a case of cola that had fallen off the shelf and was sitting in the aisle of an Annapolis, Maryland convenience store. She was taken by ambulance to a local emergency room where she was treated for a sprained right ankle, and a torn ligament in her right knee.

Anderson sued the convenience store claiming the case of cola was blocking the aisle and that the store was negligent in not moving it out of the way. The Defendant store claimed it had no knowledge that the case of cola had fallen off the shelf.

The jury found that the Defendant convenience store was liable for the Plaintiff$$s injuries and awarded the Plaintiff damages of $$99,112.$

$1.$ Is Anderson v$.$ Stop & Shop mandatory authority in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland? Explain why or why not.