Two years ago, I warned drafters of covenants not to compete to banish the words “directly or indirectly” fromtheir restrictive covenants. The drafter of the covenant before the NC Business Court in Accelerando, Inc. v. Relentless Solutions, Inc., 2025 NCBC
Latest from North Carolina Business Litigation Report
NC Business Court: A Pox On Both Your Houses
When a Court enters sanctions against a party, it is usually the result of the opposing party filing a Motion for Sanctions or the Court becoming so outraged at one party’s conduct that it delivers a punishment. But in Davis
Things Not To Do When Filing A Motion For Summary Judgment In The NC Business Court
Can you file a Motion for Summary Judgment too soon? The Plaintiffs in Wright v. LoRusso, 2023 NCBC 34 did exactly that, and were called out by Business Court Judge Conrad for violating Business Court Rules.
The Plaintiffs,
Two Words To Avoid When Drafting A Covenant Not To Compete
There are two words that have been in virtually every covenant not to compete that I have looked at. They are “directly or indirectly.” Banish those words from your covenant drafting! The covenant not to compete considered by the NC
Changing Deposition Testimony. Are there limits?
The errata sheet. You’ve probably never given it a second thought. It is baked into the Rule of Civil Procedure governing the taking of depositions. NCRCP 30(e) gives the deponent the right to review her deposition and to make “changes
NC Business Court Castigates Pro Se Claimant For Abusive Language
I couldn’t pass on writing about a Business Court Order that the Court itself described as “Sua Sponte Order on Abusive Language.” This is In re SE Eye Ctr, 2023 NCBC Order 15.
Abusive language? That might be too
NC Business Court Rejects Out-Of-State Lawyers’ Application For Fees As Unreasonable
Plaintiffs asked for an award of attorneys’ fees in Vanguard Pai Lung, LLC v. Moody, 2022 NCBC 48. They had been awarded $3 million in compensatory and punitive and thjeir lawyers sought $2.5 million in fees. The motion for
Is The NC Business Court “Going To The Dogs?”
The parties in Leonard v. Ast, 2022 NCBC 35, decided by the NC Business Court last week, were collaborators in a business venture they named Barks and Recreation. Barks was a dog training business which the Defendants felt would funnel
Part 2 of __ of the Business Court’s Orders Of Significance: Attorney-Client Privilege
This is Part 2 of an examination of the 100+ “Orders of Significance” dropped by the NC Business Court late last year. Part 1 of this series (on designating cases to the Court) is here. If you haven’t heard
NC Business Court Orders of Significance: Designating A Case To The NC Business Court (Part 1 of __)
This is the first of several intended posts on the so far unexamined “Orders of Significance” handed down by the NC Business Court. This one focuses on several Orders from Chief Judge Bledsoe on whether a case was properly designated