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If you have ever drafted a Complaint, you have undoubtedly used the words that your previous numbered allegations were "incorporated by reference."  It’s a way of not having to repeat yourself.  That  shortcut is specifically allowed by Rule 10(c) of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, which says that: "Statements in a pleading may be adopted by reference in a different part of the same pleading or in another pleading or in any motion in the action."

If you have a case where you have filed multiple briefs, you might "incorporate by reference" arguments you made in an earlier brief.  You probably haven’t thought twice about that. 

Well, Judge McGuire of the NC Business Court has thought about it, and he doesn’t like it.  In American Air Filter Co. v. Price, 2017 NCBC 54, he ruled that the use of incorporation by reference of earlier briefs could be a violation of the Rules of the NC Business Court and that it could result in the Court refusing to consider the referenced argument.

How could that be, you are wondering, as there is no mention (or any prohibition) of this practice in the Court’s rules.  The reason is that the inclusion of the pages of a previously filed brief might push you over the page limitations contained in the Business Court Rules for briefs.  The Rules require the lawyer for a party filing a brief to limit her words to 7,500, and to "include a certificate by the attorney or party that the brief complies with this rule." BCR 7.8.

Judge McGuire said in the American Filter case that: 

The General Rules of Practice and Procedure for the North Carolina Business Court (“BCR”) do not expressly permit parties to incorporate previously-filed briefs and documents outside of the brief at issue, at least not to supplement the substantive text of the brief at issue. In fact, BCR 7.8 provides strict word limits on briefs submitted to this Court. Even if incorporation of previous briefs were allowable, it appears a party incorporating a previously-filed brief would have to certify under BCR 7.8 that the brief and the incorporated brief did not exceed the word limits. Defendants have not done so in this case. As a result, the Court declines to consider Defendants’ arguments and authorities regarding choice of law issues contained in other filings with the Court.

Op. at n.2.

Continue Reading Incorporating By Reference In Your NC Business Court Brief? Don’t Do It!

Thinking of filing a Motion to Compel in the NC Business Court?  You might want to file it before the close of the discovery period, even though there is no Business Court Rule establishing a deadline for doing so.

That’s because there might be a "secret rule," based on Judge Robinson’s (unpublished) Order last week in Carmayer LLC v. Koury Aviation.

Here was the situation: The parties were litigating over the Defendant’s alleged misrepresentations as to its ability to rent out at a profit an airplane that it advised…

Continue Reading Is There A “Secret Rule” In The NC Business Court Regarding Motions To Compel?

I wrote yesterday about the arbitration aspects of Gaylor, Inc. v. Vizor, LLC, 2015 NCBC 98.

But there is a significant aspect of Business Court procedure addressed in that case which deserved its own post.

It concerns the authority of a non-Business Court Judge (i.e. a regular Superior Court Judge) to make a ruling in a case after the case is designated to the Business Court.

Business Court Rule 15.1 seems to preclude that kind of ruling. It says that:

[a]fter a case has been assigned or designated

…
Continue Reading You CAN Get A Ruling From A Superior Court Judge After Your Case Is Designated To The Business Court

There’s an ominous sounding sentence in a Business Court decision this week:

A party practicing before the North Carolina Business Court should take the deadlines imposed by its orders and the rules of practice very seriously.

Estate of Capps v. Blondeau. 2014 NCBC 24 at 36.  It is so ominous sounding that you would expect that sentence to be followed by punishment of the non-compliant party.  But Judge Jolly exercised mercy over the party which hadn’t followed the rules.

What was the rule violation?  Two of the Defendants…

Continue Reading Complying With The Rules Is Important In The Business Court

North Carolina has had more than its fair share of hurricanes over the years, but Hurricane Sandy, which hit New Jersey and New York City, even reached the North Carolina Business Court.

It came in the most mundane of motions, one to expand the word limitation for a brief.  The Order is in Gusinsky as Trustee for the Vladimir Gusinsky Living Trust v. Duke.  

The Motion was filed by the Plaintiffs on the same day an overly long brief was filed.  That violates Business Court Rule 15.8, which…

Continue Reading Hurricane Sandy Reaches The North Carolina Business Court

After a case is designated to the Business Court, the Clerk of Court in the county in which the case is pending no longer has the authority to grant a motion for extension of time.  In this case, per Business Court Rule 9.2, the Court struck the Order entered by the Clerk granting an extension of time and directed the party to re-file a motion in compliance with the rules of the Court.

OrderContinue Reading Harvey v. Schwartz, April 14, 2009 (Diaz)(unpublished)

The Court struck an Entry of Default which had been signed by an assistant clerk of court in the county where the case had been filed.  The entry of default was signed after the case was designated to the Business Court.  Judge Diaz cited Business Court Rule 15.1, stating:

Because the above-captioned cases are Business Court cases, the Clerk of Court had no authority to enter this Order and Entry of Default. See BCR 15.1 (“After a case has been assigned or designated to the Business Court, and for as

…
Continue Reading Estwanik v. Gudeman, March 6, 2009 (Diaz)(unpublished)

The Court struck Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment because it violated Business Court Rule 15.2, which requires that "[]ll motions, unless made orally during a hearing or trial, . . . be in paper writing or electronic form and . . . be accompanied by a brief . . . set out in a separate paper."  Defendants had incorporated their Motion and the arguments in support of the Motion into a single filing. 

The Court granted leave to refile the Motion, but observed that it had been filed before the…

Continue Reading Medicus Healthcare, LLC v. Nazemetz, February 25, 2009 (Diaz)(unpublished)

The parties failed to submit their designation of mediator to the Court by the deadline provided for in the Case Management Order, and also after an inquiry from the Court.  The Court held that the parties had as a result "forfeited their right" to select a mediator. 

The parties were also delinquent in filing their good faith estimate of costs.  The Court ordered that document to be filed by a set date, and held that if the parties did not complete that filing that they would be required to show…

Continue Reading Camper v. Brooks, October 27, 2008 (Diaz)(unpublished)

This post is about an Order Striking a Motion for Recusal by the North Carolina Business Court, in J. Freeman Floor Company, LLC v. Freeman.  The Motion was stricken because it was procedurally defective, but the factual allegations which the Plaintiff claimed warranted recusal were interesting, as was the way in which Judge Diaz handled those allegations.

The Plaintiff moved to recuse Judge Diaz from hearing the Defendant’s Motion for Sanctions.  The argument for recusal ran like this: Plaintiff asserted that (1) Defendant’s counsel (Winson) had  been counsel for…

Continue Reading Cruising And Recusing: Motion To Recuse Is Stricken By The North Carolina Business Court