North Carolina Court of Appeals

Lord & Lindley - Lawyers in Charlotte NC

Death By Alcohol – Who Is [more] at Fault?

April 13, 2016

          Last week the North Carolina Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision allowing a case involving alcohol poisoning against a hotel and its staff to go forward.[1]  Lisa Davis and her husband Thomas were celebrating their wedding anniversary at the Crown Plaza Resort in October of 2012.  They had…

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Master Of Your Domain?: the Nuance Of Eminent Domain and Charlotte’s Light Rail

April 7, 2016

Since before the establishment of the United States, governments have taken the land of private citizens.  The issue was so fundamental to the founders of this country they wrote it into the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution which states, in part, “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”  The issue…

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North Carolina Court Of Appeals Clarifies Reach Of Clerk Of Court’s Original Jurisdiction

February 3, 2016

          A recent decision by the North Carolina Court of Appeals reinforced the distinction between claims over which the trial divisions have original jurisdiction and claims which are properly brought before the Clerk of Court.[1]             In Morgan-McCoart v. Matchette, an elderly woman, Ms. Simpson, created…

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North Carolina Business Court Weights in on Attorneys’ Fees in Class Action Settlements

November 11, 2015

          Recent decisions by the North Carolina Court of Appeals and North Carolina Business Court (NCBC) shed light on a previously unsettled question of law: when can a North Carolina trial court award attorney’s fees as part of a class-action settlement in the absence of additional statutory authority?      …

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Estates Of the Deceased “wilmington Ten” Barred From Petitioning for Remuneration Payments for Wrongful Convictions

October 21, 2015

          In 1971, amidst heated racial confrontations following court-ordered desegregation of public schools, Mike’s Grocery Store in Wilmington, North Carolina was firebombed.  Police and fire rescue personnel responding to the scene were attacked by the perpetrators, and the event resulted in the arrest and conviction of nine black men and one…

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Caveat to a Caveat to a Will: North Carolina Court Of Appeals Offers Non-binding Opinion

October 14, 2015

          In October the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued an unpublished opinion addressing the circumstances under which it is appropriate to grant a motion to dismiss in the context of a will caveat.[1]  A caveat is a legal challenge to the probate of a will when there is confusion or…

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Eastern District Of North Carolina Predicts the North Carolina Supreme Court Will Apply the Doctrine Of Inevitable Disclosure “under Certain Circumstances.”

September 30, 2015

            The Eastern District of North Carolina recently decided a case affirming that, while North Carolina courts have not yet adopted the doctrine of inevitable disclosure, North Carolina would adopt the doctrine under certain circumstances.[1]  Spirax Sarco, Inc., (“Spirax”), alleged a claim for, among other things, injunctive relief under the…

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Challenging the Validity Of a Will Vs. the Construction Of a Will: North Carolina Court Of Appeals Clarifies

September 23, 2015

              Earlier in September the North Carolina Court of Appeals highlighted the procedural difference between challenging the validity of a will through a caveat proceeding and resolving questions as to the construction of a will through an action for declaratory judgment.[1]                …

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N.c. Court Of Appeals: Caveators Were Not Prejudiced By Dead Man’s Statute Since the Jury “heard the Gist Of Caveators’ Evidence.”

August 26, 2015

          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…

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