North Carolina
The North Carolina Bar released Proposed 2019 Formal Ethics Opinion 3 in January, addressing questions relating to intimate relationships between opposing counsel. The question presented is whether it is permissible for a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney to engage in a romantic relationship while serving as opposing counsel in multiple cases, and whether the…
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In 2015 and 2016, media magnate Sumner Redstone amended his trust, which was challenged by former companion Manuela Herzer. A California court recently ruled that Mr. Redstone possessed the required mental capacity to amend his estate plan. In North Carolina, whether an individual is a billionaire business mogul or anyone else, the requirements for testamentary…
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In December 2018, a Phoenix, Arizona woman, who spent the last fourteen (14) years in a coma, gave birth to a healthy baby. A police investigation concluded that, while in her comatose state, she had been raped multiple times. The staff at the healthcare facility where she was a patient stated that no one knew…
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Last week a Superior Court judge in Durham, North Carolina awarded Keith King $8.8 million dollars in damages against Francisco Huizar III, a man who had an affair with King’s wife. This verdict is the result of North Carolina’s alienation of affection and criminal conversion laws. A remnant of English common law, causes of…
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In our ongoing series of posts about arbitration, an increasingly popular form of private dispute resolution across the United States. This week, we will discuss another prevalent system for resolving legal disputes outside of the public court system, mediation. Although arbitration and mediation both use independent third-parties to resolve legal disagreements, there are many differences…
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Our June 11th blog post broadly discussed arbitration and the upward trend of including mandatory arbitration clauses in agreements. This week, we analyze the pros and cons of arbitration to elucidate when arbitration clauses are useful and when they are potentially harmful. In arbitration, individuals and entities bring legal claims against one another outside…
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Lately the term “non-disclosure agreements” (or “NDAs”) have inundated the news. These secretive agreements are now forefront in headlines about Stormy Daniels’ alleged affair with President Trump and Uber’s evolving corporate culture in response to claims of sexual harassment and discrimination. This has left many non-lawyers wondering: why do parties enter non-disclosure agreements and how…
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Charlotte weather is known for being wildly unpredictable. Think back to January when it was 70 degrees one day and snowing the next. The only certainty in Charlotte’s weather is that the summer will be HOT. One issue discussed each summer is the protection of our pets on those hot summer days, specifically when pets…
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Have you or your company ever been subpoenaed by someone and you wonder, “wait, why am I being dragged into their mess?” It seems unfair. Why should you have to take time out of your busy day to help someone else either pursue or defend their own lawsuit? Let’s face it, most people don’t want…
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Imagine: you are an emergency room doctor and an unconscious 70-year-old man arrives. He has an elevated blood alcohol level, a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and atrial fibrillation. He has no identification. No friends. No family. He does, however, have a tattoo that reads: “DO NOT RESUSCITATE” along with his signature.…
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