As noted in a previous post, the General Assembly recently enacted S.L. 2011-199 (HB 380), which, effective October 1, 2011, amends the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure (NCRCP) to address issues related to e-discovery in North Carolina state courts. … Read more

The recent annexation reform legislation summarized in this blog post, changed the involuntary annexation laws, but left the basic structure for voluntary annexation in place. The legislature, did, however, modify the petition signature requirements by enacting S.L. 2011-57 (HB 171), apparently … Read more

Tim Taylor is both a housing inspector and the appointed minimum housing public officer for the town of Tooltime, North Carolina. For years he has conducted periodic inspections of dwellings throughout the town in accordance with his town’s periodic inspection … Read more

The “digital age” has been upon us for many years, but the legal system continues to struggle to keep pace with the fundamental transformation it has caused in the way people communicate and generate and store information. The discovery of … Read more

Every county in our state has a county seat, in which sits the county courthouse and oftentimes other county offices.  For many towns, especially in rural areas, being the county seat is a point of pride, marking the identity of … Read more

A proposal to rezone a 15-acre tract is pending before the town council. The tract is near the edge of town. It fronts one of the town’s major roads and is occupied by three vacant residences. It is zoned for medium … Read more

There’s no dispute that property owned by the federal government is exempt from local property taxes. Cumberland County cannot levy property taxes on the Army tanks, helicopters, and munitions at Fort Bragg.  Nor can Swain County tax the many acres … Read more

Under Section G.S. 132-1.4(c) of the North Carolina Public Records law, the contents of 911 calls are public information, except for certain information specified in the statute. This provision was modified in An Act To Provide That a Transcript or … Read more

A supervisor overhears one employee tell another that her mother has developed breast cancer.  In that inadvertent way, the supervisor—and therefore the employer—has acquired genetic information about the employee.  Under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), the acquisition of genetic … Read more

The basic concept behind North Carolina public records law is simple:  all government records are “property of the people.”  As such, they must be made available upon request for free or minimal cost unless a statute specifically exempts a particular … Read more