We wrote last summer about a decision applying the trebling feature in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 75-16 to satisfy the minimum amount in controversy required to remove a case to federal court based on diversity jurisdiction. In that case, the court found that a removing defendant did satisfy the threshold […]
A Cookie-Cutter Copyright Claim Must Have an Extra Ingredient to State a Violation of Section 75-1.1
If you’ve ever pulled up N.C. Gen. Stat. § 75-1.1 on WestLaw or Lexis, you may have noticed that the statute is flagged as “unconstitutional or preempted.” This notation is there, in part, due to a 2008 case that holds that the Copyright Act of 1976 (17 U.S.C. §§ 106, […]
Departing-employee cases often involve claims for trade-secret misappropriation, breach of confidentiality and noncompetition agreements, and tortious interference with contractual or business relationships. Because these claims may also be per se violations of section 75-1.1, departing-employee cases between competitors almost always involve section 75-1.1 claims, as well. The North Carolina Business […]
I am always curious to see how courts outside of North Carolina grapple with section 75-1.1—particularly when facing novel or unsettled questions. And few questions are as unsettled as whether the economic-loss rule bars a section 75-1.1 claim. In fact, we have discussed opinions from outside of our state (California […]