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North Carolina

  • July 11, 2025

    Hospitals Used Retirement Forfeitures For Self-Gain, Suit Says

    A North Carolina hospital system cost workers millions in savings by using forfeited matched funds in its retirement plan to cover its own contribution obligations instead of reducing plan expenses paid by employees, according to a new proposed class action filed in federal court.

  • July 11, 2025

    The Biggest TM Rulings Of 2025: A Midyear Report

    Justices overturned a trademark award of more than $40 million in a long-running case in which lower courts put a company's affiliates on the hook for the amount, and a pair of precedential decisions from the Federal Circuit provided guidance on whether colors can be protected trade dress. Here is Law360's list of the biggest trademark decisions so far this year.

  • July 11, 2025

    Software Co. Accuses Honeywell Of Baseless Patent Threats

    A supply chain software company is combating patent infringement allegations by North Carolina-based Honeywell over its voice technology, saying the conglomerate has for years sought to force a licensing deal while threatening legal action without any basis.

  • July 11, 2025

    HOA Is Pushing Out Country Club Owner, NC Suit Says

    A Florida country club operator asked a North Carolina judge to find that it controls a Charlotte-area country club and golf course within a gated community, alleging that a homeowners association has refused to recognize the company as the club's owner.

  • July 11, 2025

    Widow Asks 4th Circ. For Innocent Spouse Tax Relief

    An 80-year-old widow whose husband went to jail for filing false tax returns asked the Fourth Circuit to overturn a U.S. Tax Court ruling finding her liable for interest payments related to the couple's millions of dollars in tax debt.

  • July 11, 2025

    Nonparties Object To 'Oppressive' Subpoenas In Contract Suit

    An apartment complex and a contractor told the North Carolina Business Court that a construction company that filed suit, seeking to prove it was jilted by a subcontractor on more than $13 million worth of electrical work, is overreaching in its request for communications from them.

  • July 10, 2025

    Original BBQ Joint Lays Claim To TM In Fight With Franchise

    The original location in a North Carolina chain of barbecue restaurants has shot back at a trademark infringement suit brought by the company that runs its sister restaurants, arguing it never lost ownership of the marks after the two entities split ways two decades ago.

  • July 10, 2025

    NC Officials Reject Protest Of $81.5M Helene Contract

    The North Carolina Department of Commerce rejected a Morrisville company's protest of its decision to award an $81.5 million contract for disaster recovery operations in connection with Hurricane Helene to an out-of-state vendor. 

  • July 10, 2025

    Unions Defend Block On DOGE's Social Security Data Access

    The full Fourth Circuit should affirm a Maryland federal judge's decision to block the White House's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Social Security Administration data, two unions and a retirees' advocacy group argued, saying that dissolving the injunction would violate their members' right to privacy.

  • July 10, 2025

    4th Circ. Pauses Air Quality Suit As EPA Rethinks W.Va. Plan

    The Fourth Circuit on Thursday granted a request to pause West Virginia's ozone regulation lawsuit so the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can reconsider the state's air quality compliance plan.

  • July 10, 2025

    Airline Mogul Resolves Hacking Case Against NC Investigator

    Aviation executive Farhad Azima has resolved his long-running lawsuit accusing a North Carolina private investigator of leaking his emails as part of an international hacking conspiracy, according to a joint motion dropping the case filed in federal court.

  • July 10, 2025

    Judge Blocks Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Nationwide

    A New Hampshire federal judge on Thursday issued a nationwide block of President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, and granted certification to a nationwide class that will cover all affected children born in the U.S.

  • July 09, 2025

    NC Man Gets 15 Years For Leading Sham $17M Loan Scheme

    The ringleader of a $17 million loan scheme has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after federal prosecutors in North Carolina said he defrauded banks by directing a network of conspirators to file dozens of bogus loan applications on other people's behalf.

  • July 09, 2025

    Woman Claims Unwanted Insanity Defense Prejudiced Jury

    A woman who was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2023 has urged the North Carolina Supreme Court to reverse a lower court's opinion that she is not entitled to relief after the possibility of an insanity defense was introduced into her trial against her wishes.

  • July 09, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Rehear NASCAR Charter Injunction Loss

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday declined to revisit its recent decision scrapping an injunction that had let two race teams, including one co-owned by NBA great Michael Jordan, keep their charter status while pursuing antitrust claims against NASCAR.

  • July 09, 2025

    US Chamber Backs Anheuser-Busch's 4th Circ. Class Fight

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce backed Anheuser-Busch LLC's bid to flip a Virginia federal court's decision granting class certification to workers alleging the brewing giant failed to pay for mandatory pre- and post-shift work, telling the Fourth Circuit that the workers didn't clear certification standards.

  • July 09, 2025

    4th Circ. Rejects Machinery Co.'s 3rd Try At Trade Secrets Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday shot down a Taiwanese manufacturer's third attempt to pursue claims of trade secrets theft against its North Carolina distributor, rebuffing the idea that a manufacturer can hold distributors liable for misappropriation if they sell a rival's product.

  • July 08, 2025

    Breaking Down Stewart's Nonstop Discretionary Denial Orders

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart inundated the patent community in May and June with dozens of rulings altering the landscape of discretionary denials at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Here, Law360 goes through what you should know.

  • July 08, 2025

    Pot Smell May Be Hemp So No Probable Cause, 4th Circ. Told

    A North Carolina man urged the Fourth Circuit on Monday to revive his challenge of a police officer's search of his car based on the smell of marijuana, saying the government is wrongly asserting the search was legal because there are legal forms of hemp with an indistinguishable odor. 

  • July 08, 2025

    Copter Pilot's Death Suit Revived By 4th Circ. After Rehearing

    The Fourth Circuit has once again reinstated a lawsuit by the widow of a crop-dusting pilot whose helicopter became tangled in a steel cable stretched over the property, causing him to crash, ruling that a jury must be the one to decide whether the landlord should have known that the wire posed a danger, according to a published opinion issued Tuesday following a rehearing.

  • July 08, 2025

    States Back Enviro Orgs. Bid To Block EPA's Halt Of $3B Grant

    A group of Democratic attorneys general on Monday told a D.C. federal district court that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to terminate environmental justice grants deprives vulnerable communities of funding "necessary to achieve a healthy environment."

  • July 08, 2025

    Poultry Farm Urges NC Justices To Reject Animal Cruelty Case

    A North Carolina poultry farm lambasted a chicken welfare group as allegedly seeking a "third bite at the proverbial apple" by petitioning the state's highest court to revive its animal cruelty case, saying the state's animal protection statute doesn't apply to commercial farmers.

  • July 08, 2025

    Wells Fargo Seeks Dismissal Of COVID-19 Mortgage Suit

    Wells Fargo said a North Carolina woman's claims that the bank forced the short sale of her home by denying her forbearance on her mortgage as mandated under federal law at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic should be dismissed for several reasons, including that the short sale never actually occurred.

  • July 08, 2025

    4th Circ. Revives Medical Device Co.'s Claim In Contract Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday revived a medical device maker's breach of contract claim alleging a company it hired to manage its patents globally overcharged for services, sending the case back to a Virginia federal court.

  • July 08, 2025

    NC Atty Says Mistrial Order Puts Career At Risk In Appeal Bid

    A property restoration company and its trial attorney told the North Carolina Court of Appeals that the attorney did not engage in "serious misconduct," and urged it to toss components of a lower court's mistrial order.

Expert Analysis

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.

  • Trump Faces Uphill Battle If He Tries To Target Prosecutors

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    On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump promised to go after the state and federal prosecutors who had investigated and prosecuted him, but few criminal statutes would be applicable — to say nothing of the evidence required to substantiate any charges against prosecutors, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • Conservation Easement Cases Weave Web Of Uncertainty

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    Much of the IRS and Justice Department’s recent success in prosecuting syndicated conservation easement cases can be attributed to the government’s focus on the so-called PropCo ratio, which could indicate treacherous waters ahead for participants and their advisers, even under the incoming Trump administration, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • What To Expect From State AGs As Federal Control Changes

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    Under the next Trump administration, Democratic attorneys general are poised to strengthen enforcement in certain areas as Republican attorneys general continue their efforts with stronger federal support — resulting in a confusing patchwork of policies that create unintended liabilities for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Total loss valuation cases and labor depreciation cases dominated the past quarter of insurance class actions, with courts continuing to reject challenges to condition adjustments in the former, and a pro-insured trend persisting in the latter, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • Key Legal Considerations After Supply Chain Disruptions

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    After U.S. supply chain disruptions — like the recent port workers' strike, and Hurricanes Helene and Milton — stakeholders should look to contractual provisions to mitigate losses, and keep in mind that regulators will be watching closely for unfair shipping practices, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Considering Chevron's End Through A State Tax Lens

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    States took the lead in encouraging Chevron's demise, turning away from Chevron-type deference in state tax administration ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, a trend likely to accelerate as courts take a more active role in interpreting tax laws, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Comparing Antitrust Outlooks Amid Google Remedy Review

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    As the U.S. Justice Department mulls potential structural remedies after winning its recent case against Google, increased global scrutiny of Big Tech leaves ex post and ex ante antitrust approaches ripe for evaluation, say Nishant Chadha at the Indian School of Business and Manisha Goel at Pomona College.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

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