North Carolina

  • March 27, 2025

    Insurer Can't Escape Auto Co.'s $50M COVID Coverage Suit

    An insurer can't escape an auto parts manufacturer's suit seeking $50 million in coverage for COVID-19-related losses, a North Carolina federal court ruled, saying the manufacturer sufficiently alleged that its losses are covered under the policy's communicable disease endorsement.

  • March 27, 2025

    DOJ's Antitrust Unit Targeting Anticompetitive Regulations

    The U.S. Department of Justice launched a task force on Thursday aimed at eliminating state and federal laws and regulations that are hindering competition, with an initial focus on key sectors including housing, food and transportation.

  • March 27, 2025

    NC Biz Court Limits Testimony In Smithfield Coverage Trial

    A North Carolina business court judge refused to exclude expert witnesses from either side of an insurance coverage dispute between Smithfield Foods Inc. and a Chubb subsidiary, but did limit their testimony for the firms' upcoming April trial on how much the insurer owes for breaching its duty to defend.

  • March 27, 2025

    Life Sciences REIT Says Ex-Employee Stole Trade Secrets

    Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. filed suit against a former employee in Massachusetts federal court, alleging that he stole a trove of proprietary information as he was planning to leave the company.

  • March 27, 2025

    Dutch Software Co. Tells 4th Circ. To Pause Trial After Atty DQ

    A Dutch software company is taking another stab at delaying its impending trademark trial with an American rival, telling the Fourth Circuit that it should not be forced to proceed after the district court held one of its attorneys in contempt and essentially disqualified him.

  • March 27, 2025

    Jordan's NASCAR Team Fires Back At League's Cartel Claim

    Michael Jordan's racing team has urged a North Carolina federal judge to toss NASCAR's counterclaim in an antitrust suit against the league, arguing that the stock car racing company has failed to lay out enough detail on the alleged cartel Jordan's team and others purportedly formed to harm its business.

  • March 26, 2025

    Sotomayor Urges Caution On Nondelegation Doctrine Revamp

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor cautioned her colleagues during oral arguments Wednesday against using a challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's administration of a broadband subsidy program as a way to resurrect the long-dormant nondelegation doctrine. Several conservative justices, however, seemed willing to disregard that admonition.

  • March 26, 2025

    3 Firms Guide Nuclear Power Startup's $925M SPAC Merger

    Nuclear power developer Terrestrial Energy Inc. plans to go public by merging with special purpose acquisition company HCM II Acquisition Corp. at a $925 million equity value under guidance from three law firms, both parties announced Wednesday.

  • March 26, 2025

    4th Circ. Says Credit Union Not Liable For Fraudulent Transfer

    A Fourth Circuit panel on Wednesday reversed a lower court ruling that held a credit union liable for a scammer's use of its services to swindle a metal fabricator out of $560,000, ruling that banks aren't on the hook for misdescribed fund transfers without "actual knowledge" of the discrepancy.

  • March 26, 2025

    Wings Restaurant Illegally Retains Tips, Server Says

    Wild Wing Cafe claimed a tip credit allowing it to avoid paying servers a full minimum wage, but then required workers to pool their tips and used the cash to pay for restaurant expenses, a proposed class and collective action filed in North Carolina federal court said.

  • March 26, 2025

    AGs Seek 1st OK For $39M Apotex Deal In Price-Fixing Case

    A coalition of 50 state attorneys general on Wednesday asked a Connecticut federal judge to accept a $39.1 million deal settling claims that pharmaceutical company Apotex Corp. schemed with others to fix generic-drug prices, with 70% earmarked for a restitution fund and 30% for consumer notices and attorney fees.

  • March 26, 2025

    NCAA Can't Use NY Case To Halt NC State '83 Team's NIL Suit

    North Carolina's business court refused to pause an antitrust lawsuit brought by members of the 1983 North Carolina State University men's basketball national championship team who accuse the NCAA of illegally using their likenesses, ruling the organization had failed to show it would suffer a "substantial injustice" without a stay.

  • March 26, 2025

    Hospital To Face Doctor's Libel Claim Over Suspension Report

    A North Carolina federal judge has dismissed claims for breach of good faith and emotional distress from a gynecological oncologist's defamation suit against the hospital where he used to work, but let libel and loss of job opportunity claims continue in line with a magistrate judge's recommendation.

  • March 26, 2025

    Ex-CEO Says McGuireWoods Can't Rehash Immunity Appeal

    McGuireWoods LLP and one of its former partners are rehashing immunity defenses in a last-ditch effort to dodge a long-running defamation case, the former CEO of a managed care organization told the North Carolina Court of Appeals in seeking to have the case kicked back down to the trial court.

  • March 26, 2025

    Even With Few Openings, Courts Can Still Shift Under Trump

    There were record low vacancies on the federal bench when Donald Trump took office in January, but the president could still radically alter some courts and swing the judiciary rightward, especially if Congress creates more judgeships during his second tenure.

  • March 25, 2025

    North Carolina OSHA 'Incentive' Suit Dismissed Again

    North Carolina labor officials have once again dodged a corrosion control company's lawsuit claiming the state agency wrongfully incentivized workplace safety inspectors to find violations, after a federal judge accepted a magistrate judge's analysis that the latest suit largely copied one that had already been tossed.

  • March 25, 2025

    Insurers Claim 4th Circ. Must Revisit Ruling For Aluminum Co.

    Insurers in a coverage cap dispute with an aluminum company have asked the Fourth Circuit to reconsider an opinion holding that an ambiguous policy provision must be construed in the company's favor, calling it contrary to South Carolina law.

  • March 25, 2025

    Insurance Mogul Seeks To Overturn $122M Contempt Order

    A convicted billionaire embroiled in lawsuits over the demise of his insurance empire wants out of a nine-figure contempt order, telling the North Carolina Court of Appeals that neither he nor his company has the ability to pay more than $122 million to purge the contempt.

  • March 25, 2025

    NC Justices Agree To Hear Traffic Stop Smell Test Appeal

    The North Carolina Supreme Court has agreed to take up an appeal of a man's conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon after he argued that the smell of cannabis and cologne are not sufficient to justify searching his vehicle at a traffic stop.

  • March 25, 2025

    Phillies Sue To Keep Player Stats Program Exclusive

    The Philadelphia Phillies took the owners of a baseball statistics and analytics program it paid extra to have exclusive access to into Pennsylvania state court for allegedly working to "circumvent" that exclusivity and sell parts of the system to other teams.

  • March 25, 2025

    Staffing Co. Workers Can't Get Class Status In NC Wage Suit

    Staffing firm employees can't proceed as a class in their lawsuit accusing their employer of failing to pay them a minimum wage, a North Carolina federal judge ruled, because they can't show that all the workers were subject to the same common policies.

  • March 25, 2025

    Womble Bond Atty's Contempt Order Isn't Final, 4th Circ. Told

    A federal judge's order holding a Womble Bond Dickinson partner in contempt of court over misrepresentations he allegedly made to a foreign tribunal isn't a final decision capable of being appealed, a software company told the Fourth Circuit in seeking to have the appeal tossed.

  • March 25, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Rehear Drug Price-Fixing Class Action

    The Fourth Circuit said Tuesday it will not hold a full court rehearing of its panel decision to back the dismissal of a proposed class action accusing drugmakers of conspiring and inflating the price of a medication for Huntington's disease, a suit the panel called "shaky at best."

  • March 24, 2025

    NC Urges Court To Rule Fla. Realty Co. Duped Homeowners

    The North Carolina Attorney General's Office has urged a state business court to find that a Florida real estate company targeted homeowners and tricked them into signing long-term predatory agreements in exchange for small cash advances, saying it is undisputed that the law was broken.

  • March 24, 2025

    4th Circ. Halts Removal Of PFAS Suits Against 3M

    The Fourth Circuit agreed on Monday to halt a panel's split decision allowing 3M to remove to federal court lawsuits brought by Maryland and South Carolina alleging environmental contamination from forever chemicals, while it considers their request for rehearing.

Expert Analysis

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • The Fed. Circ. In October: Anti-Suit Injunctions And SEPs

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    The Federal Circuit's holding in Ericsson v. Lenovo, a complex global case involving standard-essential patents, will likely have broad consequences for practitioners, including by making it easier to obtain an anti-suit injunction, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Navigating 4th Circ.'s Antitrust Burden In Hybrid Relationships

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to review the Fourth Circuit's Brewbaker decision, a holding that heightens the burden on antitrust prosecutors when the target companies have a hybrid horizontal-vertical relationship, but diverges from other circuits, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

  • Post-Election Implications For The EPA's Methane Rules

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    Amid the U.S. Supreme Court's recent denial of requests to halt implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane rule in two suits, and given the outcome of the election, a complete reversal of the methane rule is expected, but state-level policymaking and enforcement will continue, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.

  • Trump Faces Uphill Battle If He Tries To Target Prosecutors

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    On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump promised to go after the state and federal prosecutors who had investigated and prosecuted him, but few criminal statutes would be applicable — to say nothing of the evidence required to substantiate any charges against prosecutors, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • Conservation Easement Cases Weave Web Of Uncertainty

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    Much of the IRS and Justice Department’s recent success in prosecuting syndicated conservation easement cases can be attributed to the government’s focus on the so-called PropCo ratio, which could indicate treacherous waters ahead for participants and their advisers, even under the incoming Trump administration, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • What To Expect From State AGs As Federal Control Changes

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    Under the next Trump administration, Democratic attorneys general are poised to strengthen enforcement in certain areas as Republican attorneys general continue their efforts with stronger federal support — resulting in a confusing patchwork of policies that create unintended liabilities for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Total loss valuation cases and labor depreciation cases dominated the past quarter of insurance class actions, with courts continuing to reject challenges to condition adjustments in the former, and a pro-insured trend persisting in the latter, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

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