North Carolina

  • February 18, 2026

    Insurer Must Cover $5.5M Crash Settlement, 4th Circ. Says

    A highway construction company is entitled to coverage under a subcontractor's policy for a $5.5 million settlement over two motorcycle crashes, the Fourth Circuit held Wednesday, finding that the company's liability to the victims was causally connected to the subcontractor's placement of work zone signage.

  • February 18, 2026

    4th Circ. Backs Military Policy Banning HIV-Positive Enlistees

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday upheld a U.S. Department of Defense policy that bans HIV-positive Americans from enlisting, deferring to the military's judgment that it must have healthy and fit service members who do not require consistent treatment for chronic medical conditions. 

  • February 18, 2026

    NC City Not Covered In Wrongful Conviction Suit, Court Told

    An insurer claimed it has no duty to defend or indemnify a city government or one of its police detectives against a civil suit brought by a man who was wrongfully convicted of the 2008 murder of a University of North Carolina student, the insurer told a North Carolina federal court.

  • February 18, 2026

    Diversity In Demand Feeds Data Center REITs' Gains

    Real estate investment trusts Equinix Inc. and Digital Realty Inc. attributed the growth they experienced last quarter and last year to data center demand from various sources, including business sectors beyond cloud computing and information technology.

  • February 17, 2026

    NC Town Files Latest PFAS Suit Against 3M, DuPont

    A Tar Heel State municipality has accused 3M, DuPont, Chemours and more than a dozen other chemical and firefighting‑foam manufacturers of concealing risks and environmental contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS)‑laden foam used at the town's fire training facility in a lawsuit filed in North Carolina state court. 

  • February 17, 2026

    States Hit Discovery Roadblocks In HPE Merger Fight With DOJ

    A California federal judge mostly sided with the Justice Department on Tuesday on the latest discovery disputes in state attorneys general's challenge to a DOJ settlement greenlighting Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion Juniper acquisition, ruling that HPE doesn’t need to reveal who's bidding for divested assets, and refusing to delay deadlines.

  • February 17, 2026

    4th Circ. Vacates Prison Officers' Immunity In Violent Assault

    A split Fourth Circuit revived the lawsuit of an incarcerated North Carolina man alleging correctional officers failed to prevent a violent attack by an incarcerated "safekeeper" after leaving open sallyport doors separating the two, ruling Tuesday risks could've been abated had they simply kept doors closed, as required under prison policy.

  • February 17, 2026

    4th Circ. Won't Revive Advance Auto Parts Fraud Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday declined to revive a suit by investors claiming Advance Auto Parts and its top brass misled them about the failure of a new pricing strategy and about accounting errors, ruling they failed to allege the auto parts retailer had wrongful intent.

  • February 17, 2026

    Judge Rips Drugmakers' Borderline 'Disingenuous' Appeal Bid

    A Connecticut federal judge has rejected generic-drug makers' request for a quick appeal of his ruling denying them summary judgment on states' claims they engaged in an "overarching conspiracy" to fix prices, slamming the request for being borderline "disingenuous," mischaracterizing his reasoning and ignoring direct evidence of alleged wrongdoing.

  • February 17, 2026

    NC Justices Asked To Undo Earth Fare Founder's $195K Award

    Organic supermarket chain Earth Fare and its post-bankruptcy owner told North Carolina's top court on Tuesday that its founder can't recover damages for work he was salaried to do while revitalizing the brand, saying the justices should unravel a $195,000 unjust enrichment verdict in his favor.

  • February 17, 2026

    County's Tourism Tax Use Was Reasonable, NC Justices Told

    Counsel for a coastal North Carolina county told the state's Supreme Court justices Tuesday that commissioners' decision to spend occupancy tax dollars on public safety and infrastructure wasn't arbitrary and capricious, while opining that buying carnival equipment for their own pleasure might be.

  • February 17, 2026

    States Say FEMA Ignoring Disaster Mitigation Funding Order

    Two months after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's cancellation of a federal disaster mitigation program was illegal, the government has not shown any signs of restoring it, a coalition of states said Tuesday.

  • February 17, 2026

    Volvo Faces Class Suit Claiming Unpaid Call Center Work

    Volvo violated federal and state law by forcing customer service representatives to perform unpaid overtime work in order to be "phone ready" the moment their shifts began, a former employee said in a proposed class action filed in North Carolina federal court.

  • February 17, 2026

    Philips Settles Suit Over Sleep Machine Starting Home Fire

    Medical equipment company Philips has reached a deal with a woman who alleged in North Carolina federal court that its sleep apnea breathing machine caught fire and caused burns to her mother's face and destroyed her home.

  • February 17, 2026

    Bayer AG Unveils $7.3B Deal For Roundup Users

    Bayer AG unit Monsanto has agreed to pay up to $7.25 billion over as many as 21 years to resolve current and future claims that exposure to the weed killer Roundup caused non‑Hodgkin lymphoma, under a proposed nationwide class settlement filed Tuesday in Missouri state court in St. Louis.

  • February 13, 2026

    States' Generic Drugs Antitrust Case Headed Toward Trial

    A Connecticut federal judge has mostly refused to side with pharmaceutical companies facing states' generic drug price-fixing litigation against them, ruling that there are genuine disputes of material fact as to drug distribution chains and the states' antitrust standing and teeing up the case for trial.

  • February 13, 2026

    4th Circ. Gives Models 2nd Shot At Suit Over Stolen Photos

    Several models who said a nightclub used their photos without permission will have another chance at pursuing their trademark infringement claims after the Fourth Circuit on Friday found that the models' failure to respond to the club's motion to dismiss within 14 days was no reason to toss the suit.

  • February 13, 2026

    Full 4th Circ. Asked To Rethink Visa Fraud Conviction

    An immigration consultant who was found guilty of visa fraud based on optional documents he submitted as part of an immigration application has asked the full Fourth Circuit for a review of its panel's decision upholding a jury's conviction.

  • February 13, 2026

    Real Estate Recap: Office Conversions, Multifamily Oversupply

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insights into the office conversion puzzle and a look at multifamily oversupply heading into 2026.

  • February 13, 2026

    Old Dominion's $1.9M 401(k) Fee Suit Deal Gets Final OK

    A North Carolina federal judge gave final approval Friday to a $1.9 million deal that ends a class action accusing Old Dominion Freight Line of failing to keep fees low on its 401(k) plan, with class counsel securing $633,333.

  • February 13, 2026

    Ex-Sysco Technician's Religious Bias, OT Suit Trimmed

    A former Sysco diesel technician and Christian preacher failed to support constructive discharge and overtime time claims in his suit alleging he was treated differently because of his religion and denied overtime, a North Carolina federal judge ruled, trimming those claims while also cutting certain claims for retaliation.

  • February 13, 2026

    NC High Court Snapshot: County Tax Tiff, Earth Fare Pay Fight

    North Carolina's highest court kicks off its first week of arguments in 2026 with a look at how a coastal county is spending its occupancy tax dollars on public safety, and whether those allocations flout a state law mandating the funds be put toward tourism.

  • February 13, 2026

    'Conjecture' Frees Duke Energy From Climate Change Suit

    Duke Energy Corporation was freed from a North Carolina town's novel lawsuit seeking to hold the utility accountable for climate change-related damages after a North Carolina Business Court judge ruled it presented questions that would force a jury into "utter conjecture."

  • February 12, 2026

    Row Over Forensic Expert Testimony Hits NC High Court

    Prosecutors are urging North Carolina's highest court to uphold a drug conviction thrown out on appeal, saying an appellate court deemed a key forensic expert's trial testimony unconstitutional using a flawed interpretation of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 decision in Smith v. Arizona.

  • February 12, 2026

    HPE Has 'No Grounds' To Hide DOJ Deal Bidders, AGs Say

    Democratic attorneys general challenging the controversial Justice Department settlement permitting Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks have urged a California federal judge to let them see who's bidding for assets up for divestiture, arguing the would-be buyers are an integral part of the agreement's viability.

Expert Analysis

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

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    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • How Justices' Ruling Limits Options To Challenge DHS Orders

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    In Riley v. Bondi, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that a 30-day deadline for challenging deportation orders begins when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issues a final administrative review order, opening the door for the government to effectively bar circuit court review in future similar cases, says Kevin Gregg at Kurzban Kurzban.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • Birthright Opinions Reveal Views On Rule 23(b)(2) Relief

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    The justices' multiple opinions in the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 27 decision in the birthright citizenship case, Trump v. CASA, shed light on whether Rule 23(b)(2) could fill the void created by the court's decision to restrict nationwide injunctions, says Benjamin Johns at Shub Johns.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

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