On April 21, 2021, The Supreme Court of North Carolina adopted amendments to its General Rules of Practice for the Superior and District Courts related to the Judicial Branch’s ongoing eCourts initiative. The amendments, which will become effective May 10, 2021, pave the way for the implementation of Odyssey, a statewide electronic-filing and case-management system, to begin this summer. While the entire implementation process is expected to take approximately five years, Mecklenburg County, as an “early adopter,” is expected to begin rollout later this year. Currently, North Carolina still operates under a paper filing system; parties must print their documents and physically file them with the Court in hard-copy…
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Playing by the (New) Rules in the North Carolina Business Court: Part 3
The North Carolina Business Court’s new Rules went into effect January 1, 2017 and apply to every civil action designated as a mandatory complex business case or assigned to a Business Court judge, regardless of whether it was filed prior to the Rules’ effective date. They are meant to supplement, rather than supplant, the Rules of Civil Procedure and General Rules of Practice, but if there is a conflict with local rules or standing orders from the county of venue, the Business Court’s Rules will govern. Part 1 of this topic addressed the changes in Notices of Designation, filing, electronic filing technology problems, motions practice, and emergency motions. For…
