North Carolina

North Carolina attorney general finally apologizes to his opponent from 2000

Better late than never. After 14 years, North Carolina attorney general Roy Cooper has finally put an end to a feud that stemmed from his initial election to the job he continues to hold. The Charlotte Observer and the Associated Press reported that Cooper apologized to his 2000 opponent, Dan…

Apr 21, 2014 6:26 PM CDT

2 new suspects named, $25K reward offered in kidnapping of prosecutor’s dad

Two additional suspects have been named in the kidnapping of a North Carolina prosecutor’s father earlier this month and one has been taken into custody. Both Jakym “Jak” Camel Tibbs and Quantavious Thompson have been charged with conspiring to kidnap Frank Janssen, 63, who was rescued in Atlanta last week…

Apr 17, 2014 9:10 PM CDT

Four inmates who won reduced sentences under racial justice law seek to uphold the decisions

The North Carolina Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Monday in the cases of four death-row inmates who had their sentences reduced to life in prison under the state’s now-repealed Racial Justice Act. The North Carolina law, passed in 2009, allowed defendants to use statistics to help support claims that…

Apr 16, 2014 11:50 AM CDT

Imprisoned street gang leader used smuggled cellphone to plot kidnap of prosecutor’s dad, DOJ says

A leader of a street gang serving a life sentence in maximum security at a North Carolina prison was federally charged Friday with using a smuggled cellphone to orchestrate the kidnapping of the father of the Wake County prosecutor who convicted him, the federal Department of Justice says. Kelvin Melton,…

Apr 14, 2014 5:20 PM CDT

Death of ‘Dueling Banjos’ creator brings litigation anecdote to light

The death last week of an acclaimed crossover musician who wrote and recorded “Dueling Banjos” has brought to light the story of how Arthur Smith won a substantial settlement over the famed bluegrass song’s unauthorized use in a major motion picture. Initially recorded as “Feudin’ Banjos” in 1955, it was…

Apr 10, 2014 8:10 PM CDT

Elite FBI team rescues prosecutor’s dad from kidnappers in Atlanta

Updated: The father of a North Carolina prosecutor was abducted from his Wake Forest home last week in retaliation for her work on a prison inmate’s case, authorities say. Frank Arthur Janssen, 63, was rescued Wednesday night in Atlanta by an elite FBI team after being held for five days.…

Apr 10, 2014 4:50 PM CDT

Man who filmed mock trial for RJ Reynolds faces extortion case over claimed threat to release clips

A man who filmed a mock trial for R.J. Reynolds has been federally indicted for extortion in North Carolina after allegedly threatening to make footage public if the tobacco company didn’t contribute $15,000 to a Kickstarter campaign on his behalf. Filmmaker Joseph Patrick Kelly is believed to be in California…

Apr 4, 2014 6:30 PM CDT

North Carolina man is accused of stealing gavel and cash from law firm, punching attorney

A North Carolina man was charged with robbery and misdemeanor assault after warrants say he punched a lawyer and stole from his law firm. Police charged Allen Eugene Billings, 30, of Salisbury, the Salisbury Post reports. Billings is accused of punching lawyer Bradley Nance in the stomach and face and…

Apr 1, 2014 11:14 AM CDT

Lawyer tells judge he believes his client lied on the stand

Charged in a series of burglaries and violent home invasions, Jahaad Marshall, 27, opted to testify in his own defense at his Raleigh, N.C., trial, against the advice of his attorney. That led his lawyer, Deonte Thomas, to ask to be removed from the case. Then, outside the presence of…

Mar 27, 2014 4:05 PM CDT

Lawyer acquitted in voice-mail intimidation case

A North Carolina lawyer who told a sheriff’s detective in a voice mail that he would “whup your ass real bad” has been acquitted in a criminal trial. Jurors acquitted Greenville lawyer David Sutton on Thursday on charges of intimidating a witness and obstruction of justice, report WITN, WCTI12 and…

Mar 14, 2014 12:05 PM CDT

Told by judge to pull up sweatpants, defendant ‘dropped trou’ on way out of court, gets 10 days

A 19-year-old North Carolina man had already been told several times Thursday by the judge hearing his underage drinking case to pull his sweatpants up to his waist. Then, as Jonathan Lee Gaddy was leaving the Alamance County District Court hearing, he yanked his sweatpants down to just above his…

Feb 28, 2014 5:00 PM CST

One state considers replacing more court reporters with digital recorders

Digital recorders, in place of court reporters, should be used more often in North Carolina courts, according to a report recently issued there. It follows the state senate cutting North Carolina’s court reporting staff in half because of budget concerns. Several lawyers and judges are not happy about the Administrative…

Feb 11, 2014 12:20 PM CST

Computer virus locks up law firm files

The good news: No law firm or client data was taken. The bad news: Attorney Paul Goodson and his staff can’t access his Charlotte, N.C., law firm’s files after they were locked up by a computer virus, WSOC reports. Like other businesses in the city, the firm was targeted via…

Feb 10, 2014 2:50 PM CST

Defendant wins murder trial delay after notes from his ex-lawyer wound up in prosecution file

A murder defendant successfully sought a trial delay after pointing out in a handwritten petition to a North Carolina court that notes from a lawyer who had formerly represented him wound up in a prosecution file. Eric Cornell Wilson said in the filing that a different lawyer who subsequently represented…

Jan 31, 2014 6:10 PM CST

Kilpatrick Townsend gets no-contact order after man makes ‘profane and harassing’ comments at office

A North Carolina judge has ordered a Spokane, Wash., businessman to stay away from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton after he appeared at the law firm’s offices in Winston-Salem last Wednesday. The temporary no-contact order bars Chance Addison, owner of Addison E-Cigarette, from contacting Kilpatrick Townsend attorneys and employees at their…

Jan 21, 2014 8:15 PM CST