New Business Formation
In 1960 Charles Pickelsimer (“Charles”) inherited significant stock holdings in a family telecommunications company.[1] Over the next 45 years, Charles gave his children and grandchildren stock certificates as gifts. When he sold the company in 2008 for $65 million, Charles and his children received significant cash distributions. In 2009, Charles…
Read More
It is prudent to execute a healthcare and/or financial power of attorney well in advance of necessity to ensure your individual wishes are honored in the event you are unable to attend to your own needs. However, competency is required to execute a power of attorney. If you become incompetent and…
Read More
On August 4, 2015, the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued a ruling clarifying that when a grantor seeks to create a statutory payable on death (“POD”) account, but fails to satisfy the statutory provisions, he/she can still rely on the existence of a common law tentative…
Read More
On July 21, 2015, the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued a ruling emphasizing the importance of executing cohesive estate documents and appointing a trusted fiduciary to execute the testator’s wishes.[1] Dwight Jordan died testate with four children, and his will instructed the estate to be…
Read More
While many people recognize the term “power of attorney,” most do not know how to create a valid power of attorney or choose between the various considerations. It is important to prepare safeguards to protect current and future assets long before one faces severe illness or incapacity. A power of…
Read More
While North Carolina has never recognized a fiduciary relationship between lenders and borrowers, in June the North Carolina Business Court did recognized a new cause of action: breach of a duty to negotiate in good faith.[1] The Court confined its decision to the particular facts present in the case, leaving many questions unanswered regarding this…
Read More
The intersection of free speech and safety on social media has been a hotly debated topic for many years. Because cyber-bullying takes many different forms, it is difficult to define. While several states criminalize cyber-bullying, the language of these statutes vary greatly and are just recently being challenged under First Amendment grounds. …
Read More
The landscape of the American economy changed dramatically in the last decade, particularly due to the 2008 financial crisis. America’s largest commercial banks were forced to sell assets, reorganize, shake-up top management positions, and/or close altogether. As a result, trusts managed by corporate trustees experienced high turnover among trust officials and changes in…
Read More
The North Carolina Court of Appeals recently affirmed a trial court’s decision to grant a motion to dismiss a lawsuit when the Plaintiff, Lisa Green-Hayes (“Green-Hayes”) failed to properly state a claim for retaliatory wrongful termination.[1] In her complaint, Green-Hayes alleged she was subjected to the “discriminatory employment practices and … attitude of…
Read More
The North Carolina Business Court issued an order last month disqualifying the individual plaintiff’s counsel from also representing a company, Bolier & Co., LLC (“Bolier”). The individual plaintiff, Christian Plasman, ostensibly hired his lawyer on behalf of himself and Bolier despite being a minority member of the company and without authorization from…
Read More