North Carolina

  • June 18, 2026

    German Co. Defends Audio Patents In Dispute With Lenovo

    A German nonprofit research organization tried Wednesday to persuade a North Carolina federal court not to hand Lenovo and its subsidiary Motorola a pretrial win, arguing that the organization's asserted patents for wireless audio communications are inventive and offer specific technical solutions.

  • June 18, 2026

    Blackstone's LivCor Cuts $7M Rent-Fixing Deal With 9 States

    Blackstone subsidiary LivCor LLC has agreed to pay North Carolina, California and seven other states $7 million in penalties to resolve allegations against it in a sprawling antitrust lawsuit alleging major landlords used software company RealPage to fix rent prices, according to documents filed in North Carolina federal court Thursday.

  • June 18, 2026

    Skadden, Troutman Lead First Carolina Bank's $69M IPO

    First Carolina Financial Services, a community bank with branches in several southeastern states, began trading its shares on Thursday after pricing a $69 million initial public offering below its target range, guided by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP and underwriters' counsel Troutman Pepper Locke LLP.

  • June 18, 2026

    DirecTV, AGs Tell 9th Circ. Not To Curb Nexstar-Tegna Block

    DirecTV and a coalition of state attorneys general urged the Ninth Circuit not to narrow a district court preliminary injunction blocking Nexstar's purchase of Tegna, arguing the only way to preserve competition while the case proceeds is a full block, not one restricted to 31 overlapping broadcast markets.

  • June 18, 2026

    NC Legislators OK 90% Property Tax Break For Builders

    North Carolina would allow local governments to create specialized districts and provide significant tax exclusions for developers to incentivize new property improvements under a bill now on the governor's desk.

  • June 18, 2026

    Otter Tail To Pay $30M To Settle PVC Price-Fix Claims

    Otter Tail has agreed to pay $30 million to resolve certain claims in litigation alleging it and two subsidiaries conspired with other polyvinyl chloride pipe producers to fix prices, the company said in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

  • June 18, 2026

    BofA Exits Biden-Era OCC Order Over Pandemic Relief Lapses

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has terminated a 2022 consent order with Bank of America NA over its handling of prepaid unemployment benefit cards during the COVID-19 pandemic, closing out a key part of a Biden-era joint enforcement action against the bank.

  • June 18, 2026

    Liberty Mutual Says It's Owed $1.5M In School Bond Row

    Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. told a North Carolina federal court that a construction company owes about $1.5 million for losses Liberty incurred in connection with the contractor's work on a school construction project for which Liberty executed bonds.

  • June 18, 2026

    5 Big ERISA Litigation Developments From 2026's First Half

    The U.S. Supreme Court's acceptance of a petition challenging Intel's 401(k) investment lineup and a Fourth Circuit ruling unraveling a class of Genworth Financial retirement plan participants headlined the court developments that caught benefits attorneys' attention in the first six months of 2026. Here, Law360 looks at those and other noteworthy ERISA decisions.

  • June 18, 2026

    Wells Fargo Must Face Finance Manager's Bias Claims At Trial

    Wells Fargo has lost its bid for summary judgment in a finance manager's disability bias lawsuit, with a North Carolina federal judge ruling that a material dispute remains over whether she suffered an adverse action for her retaliation and discrimination claims.

  • June 17, 2026

    Mental Health Co. To Face Wage Class Damages Trial

    A North Carolina federal judge ruled Wednesday that the mental healthcare company JMJ Enterprises LLC must face a second-phase damages trial after a jury found in February in favor of a collective of employees claiming that the company willfully broke federal and state wage laws by underpaying workers at group homes.

  • June 17, 2026

    NC County Liable For Highest PFAS Levels In State, Suit Says

    A grassroots environmental group asked a North Carolina federal court to prohibit a county from polluting local waters with forever chemicals, contending that the county knows that thousands of residents are imperiling their health by drinking PFAS-laden water but has refused to do anything about it.

  • June 17, 2026

    4th Circ. Won't Revive Journalists' Social Media Bias Suits

    The Fourth Circuit refused Wednesday to reopen lawsuits alleging two journalists were fired by a U.S.-funded Middle Eastern media network because they're Iraqi, concluding they couldn't overcome the organization's explanation that the employees violated its social media policy requiring neutrality.

  • June 17, 2026

    NC Biz Court Narrows Fight Over Flopped Development Deal

    A private lender and its top brass have shaved a host of claims from a dispute with the part-owners of a real estate development project that never got off the ground, with a North Carolina Business Court judge finding that many of the allegations against them were too "thin" to advance.

  • June 17, 2026

    NC Clinic, School District Must Face COVID Vax Challenge

    A North Carolina state appeals panel issued its second opinion in a lawsuit from the mother of a teenager who alleged he was vaccinated for COVID against his will, finding Wednesday that she adequately put forward constitutional claims and can pursue allegations against a school district and medical society clinic in trial court.

  • June 16, 2026

    Nationwide Aims To Decertify 50K ERISA Class Ahead Of Trial

    Nationwide urged an Ohio federal judge to cut down a class of 50,000 401(k) plan participants who claimed the company mismanaged a fund in its retirement plan, pointing to a recent Fourth Circuit ruling that said defined contribution plans require too many individual assessments to earn class certification.

  • June 16, 2026

    Oral Arguments In Comey, James Appeal Set For September

    The Fourth Circuit has scheduled in-person oral arguments for the Trump administration's appeal of the dismissals of indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James for Sept. 15-18.

  • June 16, 2026

    4th Circ. Says Dutch Insurer Isn't Lindberg Fraud Victim

    A split Fourth Circuit panel denied a bid for over €215 million ($249 million) in restitution from insolvency experts for a bankrupt Dutch insurer, after finding they didn't link the criminal conduct of convicted insurance mogul Greg Lindberg to the harm the company and its policyholders suffered.

  • June 16, 2026

    Game-Maker Seeks $13.5M Over Alleged Counterfeits

    The maker of Fusion skill game platforms has accused a Philadelphia route operator and his company of selling hacked and counterfeit versions of its game systems on eBay and Facebook Marketplace, alleging in a federal lawsuit that the knockoffs duplicate its copyrighted artwork and registered trademarks.

  • June 16, 2026

    NC Man Must Pay $36K To End SEC's Suit Over 'Free-Riding'

    A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit accusing a North Carolina man of taking advantage of broker-dealer services to trade hundreds of thousands in securities despite not having the funds came to an end Monday in a final judgment after he failed to appear.

  • June 16, 2026

    4th Circ. Turns Down Bacardi Challenge To Rum TM Renewal

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday rejected Bacardi's challenge to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's renewal of a Cuban company's expired trademark registration for Havana Club rum, finding a retroactive approval to pay the registration fee to be valid.

  • June 16, 2026

    Orrick Adds 4 Structured-Finance Partners In US And UK

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has expanded its structured-finance team on both sides of the Atlantic by hiring four attorneys from Morrison & Foerster LLP, Mayer Brown LLP and McDermott Will & Schulte as partners, Orrick announced Tuesday.

  • June 15, 2026

    4th Circ. Nixes Class In Anheuser-Busch OT Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Monday vacated an order certifying a class of Anheuser-Busch employees in a lawsuit alleging the brewing giant failed to pay the workers for pre- and post-shift work, finding that the class is currently too broad to justify certification.

  • June 15, 2026

    No Longer Sidelined, Private Equity Firms Bet Big On Sports

    With a limited number of major professional sports teams for sale and astronomical valuations leaving a high barrier to entry, experts say college sports and emerging leagues are providing opportunities for private investment, and the rapidly shifting rules are creating compliance challenges for attorneys.

  • June 15, 2026

    CareFirst Says Intent Standard Was Misread In Stelara Case

    CareFirst is arguing that a Virginia federal judge created a new standard for monopolization claims when he dismissed claims from the company's antitrust suit challenging Johnson & Johnson's protection of its immunosuppressive drug Stelara, arguing he misread a Fourth Circuit decision in ruling that monopolization requires a showing of specific intent.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices' Geofence Ruling May Test 4th Amendment's Future

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    When the U.S. Supreme Court decides in Chatrie v. U.S. whether law enforcement may use geofence warrants to compel Google to disclose location history data, the ruling is likely to become an important statement about the future of Fourth Amendment law in data-driven investigations, says Duncan Levin at Levin & Associates.

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Justices May Hesitate To Limit Courts' Arbitration Review

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    Based on Monday's argument in Jules v. Andre Balazs, the U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to preserve federal jurisdiction over arbitral award enforcement stemming from actions originated in federal court, a holding that would markedly limit the court's 2022 Walters v. Badgerow decision, says Ashwini Jayaratnam at DarrowEverett.

  • Series

    Ultramarathons Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Completing a 100-mile ultramarathon was tougher, more humbling and more rewarding than I ever imagined, and the experience highlighted how long-distance running has sharpened my ability to adapt to the evolving nature of antitrust law and strengthened my resolve to handle demanding, unforeseen challenges, says Dan Oakes at Axinn.

  • Getting The Most Out Of Learning And Development Programs

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    Junior associates can better develop the legal, business and interpersonal skills they need for long-term success by approaching their firms’ learning and development programs armed with five tips for getting the most out of these resources, says Lauren Hakala at Reed Smith.

  • Considering The Risks That Arise When IP Outlives Its Owner

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    Federal and state court decisions show that the statutory regime for each category of intellectual property promises continuity after the owner's death, but the law does not provide a succession framework for how those rights are to be exercised, says Erin Daly at Daly Law & Strategy.

  • Opinion

    AI Presents A Make-Or-Break Moment For Outside Counsel

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    The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence by corporate legal departments is forcing a long-overdue reset of the relationship between inside and outside counsel, and introducing a significant opportunity to shed frustrating inefficiencies and strengthen collaboration for firms willing to embrace the shift, says Intel Chief Legal Officer April Miller Boise.

  • Using Liability Forecasts In Financial Reports Vs. Bankruptcy

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    Understanding the differences of scope, time frame and stakes between liability forecasts drawn up for financial reports versus those used in bankruptcy litigation is crucial for attorneys seeking to leverage economic analysis to ask the right questions, and strengthen their compliance and courtroom strategies, says Jorge Gallardo-García at Bates White.

  • Series

    Watching Hallmark Movies Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I realize you may be judging me for watching, and actually enjoying, Hallmark Channel movies, but the escapism and storylines actually demonstrate qualities and actions that lead to an efficient, productive and positive legal practice, says Karen Ross at Tucker Ellis.

  • 5 Tips For Navigating Your Firm's All-Attorney Summit

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Law firm retreats should be approached strategically, as they present valuable opportunities to advance both the firm's objectives and attorneys' professional development through meaningful participation, building and strengthening internal relationships, and proactive follow-up, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Duke Energy Settlement Raises Key Antitrust Questions

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    The recent federal court settlement in Duke Energy v. NTE Carolinas II comes in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's failure to address a Fourth Circuit decision in the matter, calling into question the core purpose and effect of antitrust laws, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

  • Series

    Coaching Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Coaching youth soccer for my 7-year-old son's team has sharpened how I communicate with clients, prepare witnesses, work within teams and think about leadership, making me a more thoughtful and effective lawyer in many ways, says Joshua Holt at Smith Currie.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: The Human Element

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    Law school teaches you to quickly apply intellect and logic when handling a legal issue, but every fact pattern also involves a person, making the ability to balance expertise with empathy critical to the growth of relationships with clients, colleagues and adversaries, says Rachel Adcox at Adcox Strategies.

  • Why Prediction Market Regulation Is At Major Inflection Point

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    As prediction markets experience tremendous growth and rapid mainstream adoption, regulators have begun to exercise enforcement authority to ensure market integrity and protect participants, though forthcoming guidance will shed light on how aggressively the agencies will police the fast-changing landscape, say attorneys at Latham.

  • The Benefits Of Choosing A Niche Practice In The AI Age

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    As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly accessible, lawyers with a niche practice may stand out as clients seek specialized judgment that automation cannot replicate, but it is important to choose a niche that is durable, engaging and a good personal fit, says Daniel Borneman at Lowenstein Sandler.

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