• Blog Post

    The Purpose of Non-Disclosure Agreements and How They Could Fail Harvey Weinstein

    What happens when you violate a non-disclosure agreement? Are there any circumstances in which is permissible to violate one without consequences? What are non-disclosure agreements even for? What does everyone have to hide?   Non-disclosure agreements are a way for businesses or individuals to protect confidential information given to their employees or other parties. They can also be called “confidentiality agreements” or simply “NDAs.” At Lindley Law, all employees sign a confidentiality agreement with respect to client information. In addition to attorney-client confidentiality, it is important to the attorney-client relationship that we maintain confidentiality so as to not compromise or prejudice our clients in any way.   Other companies, such…

  • Blog Post

    North Carolina Business Court Weights in on Attorneys’ Fees in Class Action Settlements

              Recent decisions by the North Carolina Court of Appeals and North Carolina Business Court (NCBC) shed light on a previously unsettled question of law: when can a North Carolina trial court award attorney’s fees as part of a class-action settlement in the absence of additional statutory authority?             Long-standing precedent is that a court can award attorneys’ fees to a prevailing party when statutorily authorized to do so.[1]  This practice is known as the “American Rule.”  The intended purpose of the American Rule is to encourage the conservation of judicial resources by promoting settlement and discouraging unnecessarily prolonged litigation.[2]  Regarding…