Articles Posted in NC Law Changes

Well, the results of the election are in and the numbers look good. NC selected moderate, experienced Judges for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. The Raleigh News & Observer reports (as of this posting): Supreme Court (Chief Justice) Sarah Parker 1126541 Rusty Duke 564619 2761 of 2767 precincts reporting Court of Appeals (Stephens)…

The North Carolina Court of Appeals has ruled today that a plaintiff is not entitled to recover punitive damages from an Estate of a tortfeasor. In the matter of Harrell v. Estate of Perry, the COA addressed an appeal from a Superior Court where the Superior Court had ruled that pursuant to NC Rule of…

My friend Holly sent me this bit of news. New law becomes effective today; Medicaid recipients required to provide proof of citizenship (See below my comments for the story) I have mixed feelings, but in the end, I don’t think this is the right move for our government. On the one hand we don’t want…

New DWI Laws Allow Speed Testimony under Rule 702(i) As of December 1, 2006, the new Rule 702(i) will allow accident reconstructionists who have been qualified as experts to give an opinion as to the speed of a vehicle, even if they did not observe the moving vehicle(s). Please note that this should apply to…

When the Governor Signs[ed] the Bill, How will[does] it Work? The Legislature has passed a revision to the State Employee and Teachers Health Plan lien and has sent that bill to the Governor for signature. Refer to this post for the text of the bill. Up until now, the SEHP limited itself to no more…

I just received the most recent report about the proposed changes to the NC State Employee’s Health Plan Lien. It’s all good news. 2005 Technical Corrections Act Passes Vote The 2005 Technical Corrections Act conference report (that contained the “technical” corrections for the lien) has been adopted by both houses, and now goes to the…

Hurray!!! The NC Teachers & State Employees Lien has moved one step closer to being revised to allow for attorney fees and to limit the scope of the lien. There bill came out of the Senate technical corrections committee yesterday and can be found here. Now we have to wait for the house to either…

Following a legal trend from around the nation, the North Carolina Senate has finalized legislation to ban teenagers from operating cars while talking on cell phones. Starting December 1, 2006, teenagers may be fined $25 and get a six month extension of their “learner’s permit” if they are caught driving and talking. Seems like a…