Where the plaintiff and the third-party defendant have separately appealed subsequent orders of the trial court, and where that separate appeal includes the interlocutory discovery and sanctions orders at issue in this appeal, we defer to the panel of this ...
Read More »Civil Practice – Appeals – Discovery Orders – Subsequent Appeal
Civil Practice – Appeals – Gatekeeping Order – Domestic Relations – Contempt 
Even though defendant was subject to a pre-filing injunction which prohibited him from filing any documents with the “State of North Carolina Courts” without either attaching an affidavit from a licensed attorney or obtaining permission from the senior resident superior ...
Read More »Trusts & Estates – Undue Influence – Age & Infirmity – Trust Beneficiary Change 
The plaintiff-grandchildren presented sufficient evidence to go to the jury on the question of the defendant-son’s (plaintiffs’ uncle) undue influence over the settlor of a trust, John Day. Day had been suffering from dementia for eight years, and defendant had ...
Read More »Tort/Negligence – Medical Malpractice – Standard of Care – Expert’s Unfamiliarity 
Where plaintiff’s sole expert witness had no familiarity with the defendant-doctor’s training or experience – whether through reviewing defendant’s deposition, reviewing the website of her medical group, or reading through the qualifications and trainings of defendant’s practice – plaintiff did ...
Read More »Tort/Negligence – Medical Malpractice – Expert Testimony – Medical Literature – Special Proximate Cause 
In this medical malpractice case involving surgery to treat caudal equina syndrome complete in a patient with comorbidities of insulin dependent diabetes and hypertension, the opinion of plaintiff’s only causation expert was based on confusing medical literature that he admitted ...
Read More »Criminal Practice – Sentencing – Death by Motor Vehicle – Aggravating Factor 
Even though defendant’s impairment was an element of the offense of felony death by motor vehicle, and even though the jury acquitted defendant of reckless driving, the state presented sufficient evidence to allow the jury to find the aggravating factor ...
Read More »Criminal Practice – Rule 404(b) Evidence – Prior Burglary – Similarities 
The burglary and murders with which defendant was charged (the Howard Road crimes) and an earlier burglary (the Wagstaff Road burglary) occurred 1.6 miles apart, in the same neighborhood and were perpetrated by the same three individuals (defendant, Gregory Crawford, ...
Read More »Criminal Practice – Inventory of Biological Evidence – Insufficient Request 
Defendant, a convicted rapist, purported to request an inventory of biological evidence related to his case. However, defendant never actually requested an inventory. The only fair reading of his lengthy, handwritten filing is that defendant sought to compel the state ...
Read More »Criminal Practice – Felonious Larceny – Value – Insufficient Evidence 
With regard to the value of a 2001 Chrysler Concord stolen by defendant in September 2015, the state’s evidence showed that the victim had bought the car from his uncle for $600 in February 2015, the victim had put new ...
Read More »Transylvania Co. courts closing early due to COVID-19
Transylvania County courts and its clerk of court’s office will close early through March 2 due to COVID-19, the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts announced. The AOC said that the Transylvania courthouse, clerk’s office, and district and superior ...
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