North Carolina

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Seek SG's View In Military Shipbuilders' Wage Row

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the solicitor general to weigh in on a petition filed by U.S. military shipbuilders challenging a proposed class action accusing them of suppressing naval architects' wages through a no-poach "gentlemen's agreement."

  • January 12, 2026

    Justices Won't Hear Duke Energy Monopoly Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to review a ruling that revived antitrust claims from NTE Energy Services accusing Duke Energy of squeezing it out of the power market in North Carolina.

  • January 09, 2026

    Mylan, Aurobindo Must Face Generic Drug Price-Fixing Claims

    A Connecticut federal judge on Friday refused to hand a quick win to Mylan Pharmaceuticals and Aurobindo Pharma USA in sprawling antitrust litigation against 26 total pharmaceutical companies, ruling that a coalition of states has enough evidence to raise a genuine dispute about whether the companies conspired to fix drug prices.

  • January 09, 2026

    Wash. AG Aims To Weigh In On Constitutionality Of Email Law

    Washington state's attorney general intends to weigh in on a proposed class action accusing apparel maker Hanesbrands Inc. of flooding consumers' inboxes with misleading marketing emails, responding to Hanes' argument that the state's Commercial Electronic Mail Act is unconstitutional.

  • January 09, 2026

    Up Next At High Court: Pollution Lawsuits & Trans Athletes

    The U.S. Supreme Court will kick off the new year by hearing disputes over the constitutionality of state laws banning transgender female athletes from female-only sports and whether state or federal courts are the proper forum for lawsuits seeking to hold major oil companies accountable for harm caused by their oil production activities along Louisiana's coast. 

  • January 09, 2026

    Real Estate Recap: Predicting '26

    Catch up on this past week's developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including key asset classes and pending litigation to watch in the new year.

  • January 09, 2026

    Furniture Store Employees Get 1st OK For Data Breach Deal

    A North Carolina federal judge has granted preliminary approval in a class action settlement to a former employee of a new and used office furniture company in a data breach lawsuit that's just over a year old.

  • January 09, 2026

    Vending Co. Will Pay Nearly $7M To Hidden Fee Class

    A federal judge in North Carolina on Friday gave final approval to a $6.94 million settlement with food service company Compass Group USA Inc. in a class action alleging it charged customers 10 cents more than the displayed prices for items sold in its vending machines.

  • January 09, 2026

    Worker's Poor Performance Dooms Bias Suit, 4th Circ. Says

    The Fourth Circuit declined to revive a Black USPS worker's retaliation suit claiming her white boss crafted a paper trail to oust her after she filed a race bias complaint against him, ruling Friday that she couldn't overcome evidence that her repeated performance issues got her temporarily fired, not bias.

  • January 09, 2026

    4th Circ. Frees Man Convicted For Speech After 9/11

    A lecturer and scholar of Islam convicted of inducing others to levy war against the U.S. after Sept. 11, 2001, was freed from serving his remaining sentence Friday, when a unanimous Fourth Circuit panel ruled that his speech was protected under the First Amendment.

  • January 09, 2026

    Attys, Broker Ask 4th Circ. To Overturn Tax Fraud Convictions

    Two St. Louis tax attorneys and a North Carolina insurance broker have asked the Fourth Circuit to unravel their convictions for participating in a $22 million tax scheme, arguing the government failed to prove at trial that the tax plan they used was actually illegal.

  • January 09, 2026

    Gov't Tells 4th Circ. SC Residents Can't Challenge Marsh Plan

    The federal government has urged the Fourth Circuit to uphold the dismissal of a suit filed by South Carolina property owners challenging the approval of a local marsh mitigation bank plan, arguing the property owners lack Article III standing and their claims are "speculative."

  • January 09, 2026

    4 Argument Sessions That Benefits Attys Should Watch In Jan.

    The U.S. Supreme Court will zero in on the methodology for assessing liability for pulling out of a multi-employer pension fund, and the circuit courts will hear bids to revive suits over alleged 401(k) mismanagement and deferred compensation. Here, Law360 looks at a quartet of oral arguments coming up in January.

  • January 09, 2026

    Patent Protection Firm Ends Software Infringement Suit

    A patent protection services firm has dropped its case against a photo-editing software company alleging infringement of three patents covering advanced image processing.

  • January 09, 2026

    Comey, James Fight DOJ Push To Combine Dismissal Appeals

    Former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James are pushing back against federal prosecutors' effort to consolidate their currently separate appeals of the beleaguered prosecutions against the pair at the Fourth Circuit.

  • January 09, 2026

    Couple Fights To Send Annuity Fraud Case To State Court

    A retired U.S. Navy veteran and his wife, who are accusing Ameritas Mutual Holding Co. and Ameritas Life Insurance Company Inc. of orchestrating a fraudulent investment scheme based on the sale of unsuitable equity-indexed annuities, urged a North Carolina federal court to send the case back to state court. 

  • January 09, 2026

    4th Circ. Asks If NCAA's W.Va. Eligibility Appeal Is Now Moot

    The NCAA and four West Virginia University football players have until Jan. 21 to tell the Fourth Circuit whether the collegiate athletic association's appeal of an injunction making the players eligible this season is moot, now that the season is over.

  • January 09, 2026

    Food Service Co. Can't Sink Fired Manager's Sex Bias Suit

    A New Jersey federal judge narrowed but refused to toss a suit alleging a dining services company fired a district manager for calling out its boys club culture, leaving it up to a jury to decide whether the company's stated reason for her firing was a smokescreen for discrimination.

  • January 09, 2026

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Trade Secrets Row, A Patient Data Deal

    The North Carolina Business Court closed out the year by tossing a trade secrets fight brought by a corrugated packing manufacturer against its onetime star salesman and signing off on a $2.45 million settlement ending claims a healthcare system sold patients' data to Meta.

  • January 09, 2026

    Virginia Takes Vape Law Fight To 4th Circ.

    Virginia is looking to the Fourth Circuit to overturn a court order partially blocking it from enforcing a ban on flavored vapes, according to a notice filed by the state's attorney general.

  • January 08, 2026

    States Fight To Block EPA From Wiping Out $7B Solar Funding

    A coalition of states urged a Washington federal district judge Thursday to preliminarily block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from cutting solar power grant programs, arguing that without an injunction the Trump administration could transfer $7 billion back to the Treasury and "we will be entirely out of luck."

  • January 08, 2026

    4th Circ. Says Fraud On Optional Visa Docs Is Still Criminal

    A split Fourth Circuit panel on Thursday affirmed the visa fraud convictions of a Maryland man who prosecutors said submitted fraudulent applications for clients of his immigration "legal center," with the majority ruling that knowingly making false statements on documents that aren't necessarily required can still be criminal.

  • January 08, 2026

    States Can't Block HPE Integration Amid Deal Review

    A California federal court refused Thursday to bar Hewlett Packard Enterprise from further integrating with Juniper Networks while state enforcers raise objections to a U.S. Department of Justice settlement allowing the merger to move ahead.

  • January 08, 2026

    Wolfspeed Securities Class Action Sent To NC Federal Court

    A securities class action case against chipmaker Wolfspeed Inc. was transferred to North Carolina federal court Wednesday following a New York judge's order directing the movement of the consolidated investor suits over alleged misrepresentations about the company's financial projections.

  • January 08, 2026

    Former IRS Official Criticizes CEO's Tax Prosecution

    A former IRS deputy commissioner criticized the U.S. Department of Justice for indicting a former software executive who was ultimately convicted of failing to pay employment taxes, calling the choice "entirely unwarranted" in a letter filed in North Carolina federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Texas, One Year In

    Author Photo

    A year after the Texas Business Court's first decision, it's clear that Texas didn't just copy Delaware and instead built something uniquely its own, combining specialization with constitutional accountability and creating a model that looks forward without losing touch with the state's democratic and statutory roots, says Chris Bankler at Jackson Walker.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

    Author Photo

    Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

    Author Photo

    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

    Author Photo

    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

    Author Photo

    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • Compliance Steps To Take As FCRA Enforcement Widens

    Author Photo

    As the Fair Credit Reporting Act receives renewed focus from both federal and state enforcers, regulatory and litigation risk is most acute in several core areas, which companies can address by implementing purpose processes and quick remediation of consumer complaints, among other steps, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

    Author Photo

    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Series

    Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Client Service

    Author Photo

    Law school teaches you how to interpret the law, but it doesn't teach you some of the key ways to keeping clients satisfied, lessons that I've learned in the most unexpected of places: a book on how to be a butler, says Gregory Ramos at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Where 4th And 9th Circ. Diverge On Trade Secret Timing

    Author Photo

    Recent Fourth and Ninth Circuit decisions have revealed a deepening circuit split over when plaintiffs must specifically define their alleged trade secrets, turning the early stages of trade secret litigation into a key battleground and elevating the importance of forum selection, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 3 Tips On Finding The Right Job

    Author Photo

    After 23 years as a state and federal prosecutor, when I contemplated moving to a law firm, practicing solo or going in-house, I found there's a critical first step — deep self-reflection on what you truly want to do and where your strengths lie, says Rachael Jones at McKool Smith.

  • Series

    Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Painting trains me to see both the fine detail and the whole composition at once, enabling me to identify friction points while keeping sight of a client's bigger vision, but the most significant lesson I've brought to my legal work has been the value of originality, says Jana Gouchev at Gouchev Law.

  • H-2A Rule Rollback Sheds Light On 2 Policy Litigation Issues

    Author Photo

    The Trump administration’s recent refusal to defend an immigration regulation implemented by the Biden administration highlights a questionable process that both parties have used to bypass the Administrative Procedure Act’s rulemaking process, and points toward the next step in the fight over universal injunctions, says Mark Stevens at Clark Hill.

  • Protecting Sensitive Court Filings After Recent Cyber Breach

    Author Photo

    In the wake of a recent cyberattack on federal courts' Case Management/Electronic Case Files system, civil litigants should consider seeking enhanced protections for sensitive materials filed under seal to mitigate the risk of unauthorized exposure, say attorneys at Redgrave.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the North Carolina archive.