This blog is no stranger to litigants attempting to transform run-of-the-mill contract disputes into claims for unfair or deceptive trade practices. Nor are our North Carolina courts, given the prospect of recovering treble damages and attorneys’ fees to a spurned business. Today’s post looks at a recent decision from the […]
We’ve often discussed the power of preemption defenses to section 75-1.1 claims. Preemption is also a crucial issue in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, as the federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (FDCA) has been held to preempt a wide variety of products-liability and consumer-protection claims. Consumer-protection statutes like section […]
In intellectual property disputes, the strength of a section 75-1.1 claim or an unfair competition claim often rises or falls with a trademark infringement claim. For instance, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 80-12 provides that a violation of state trademark law constitutes a per se violation of section 75-1.1. Additionally, while a […]
Seven years ago, in Bumpers v. Community Bank of Northern Virginia, the Supreme Court of North Carolina held that a plaintiff who sues under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 75-1.1 based on a misrepresentation must show actual and reasonable reliance on the misrepresentation. A recent decision by the North Carolina Court of […]