The North Carolina Business Court is a specialized forum of the superior court division. Cases involving complex and significant issues of corporate and commercial law in our state are designated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina as complex business cases for assignment to a Business Court judge who oversees resolution of all matters in the case through trial.

Established in 1996, the Business Court has locations in Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem.

• Business Court Report: February 2023 (January – December 2022)

View more Business Court reports.

News

Notice Regarding Odyssey

As of 1 March 2023, four pilot counties (Wake, Johnston, Harnett, and Lee Counties) have “switched” to the electronic Odyssey filing system. As a result, filings in Business Court cases from those four counties must be made electronically both in the Business Court’s e-filing system (Tybera’s eFlex) and in Odyssey.

The Business Court has also been advised that Odyssey has no “flag” at present that notifies the local Clerk of Superior Court’s office whether a case is a Business Court designated case. While the Administrative Office of the Courts is attempting to remedy this situation, it is possible that attorneys and self-represented parties in Business Court cases pending in the four pilot counties may receive scheduling or other orders and notices issued by the Clerk of Superior Court, the county Trial Court Administrator, or the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge which presumes that the case is being handled on the “regular” Superior Court civil action docket. IF YOU RECEIVE SUCH AN ORDER OR NOTICE THROUGH THE ODYSSEY SYSTEM WHICH IS NOT ISSUED BY THE BUSINESS COURT JUDGE ASSIGNED TO YOUR CASE OR BY THE JUDGE’S STAFF, PLEASE PROMPTLY ADVISE THE BUSINESS COURT BY EMAILING A COPY OF THE ORDER OR NOTICE TO SENIOR COURT COORDINATOR THOMAS W. ESTES AT thomas.w.estes@nccourts.org.

Impact of AOC’s Projected Odyssey Go-Live Date of February 13, 2023 for Harnett, Johnston, Lee and Wake Counties

Odyssey is a new, web-based integrated case management system that the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts is rolling out in stages statewide. The current go-live date for Odyssey in the pilot counties of Harnett, Johnston, Lee, and Wake is February 13, 2023. The Administrative Office of the Courts maintains a list of the counties with Odyssey at NCcourts.gov/eCourts.

The Business Court’s go-live date for Odyssey has not been determined. Until further notice, parties and counsel will continue to file documents with the Business Court using its eFlex electronic-filing system. Parties and counsel will also need to continue filing documents with the Clerk of Superior Court in the county of venue, and the form of those filings will depend on whether the county is live on Odyssey. To navigate these issues, filers should reference Rules 5.0 and 5.1 of the General Rules of Practice for the Superior and District Courts Supplemental to the Rules of Civil Procedure. For questions regarding this information please contact Senior Court Coordinator Thomas W. Estes at thomas.w.estes@ncbusinesscourt.net or 704-686-0144.

See this FAQ and others on Business Court FAQs.

Amended North Carolina Business Court Rules, effective July 1, 2022

To All Counsel and Unrepresented Parties in Pending Business Court Actions:

By Order dated June 15, 2022, the Supreme Court of North Carolina has approved amendments to the North Carolina Business Court Rules (“Amended Rules”).

THE AMENDED RULES ARE EFFECTIVE AS OF JULY 1, 2022 AND APPLY TO ALL CASES BEFORE THE BUSINESS COURT PENDING ON OR AFTER THAT DATE.

Counsel and pro se parties in pending cases should carefully review the Supreme Court's order, which may be accessed at North Carolina Business Court Rules.

The Amended Rules do not alter or modify case management orders in pending cases in the event those orders conflict with the Amended Rules.

Louis A. Bledsoe, III
Chief Business Court Judge

North Carolina Business Court Email Alerts for Opinions and Orders of Significance

You may sign up to receive email alerts announcing the publication of the North Carolina Business Court’s Orders and Opinions and Orders of Significance on this page below.

More Information

• Business Court Rules
• Designation Procedure
• FAQs
• Staff, Locations, and Court Calendars
• Business Court Judges
• Court Technology
• Special Information and Procedures
• Pro Hac Vice Motions Practice

For general inquiries please direct your attention to:

Thomas W. Estes, Senior Court Coordinator
(704) 686-0144
Thomas.W.Estes@ncbusinesscourt.net

The Business Court has four locations. Find contact info for each. 

For case-specific inquiries, please contact the chambers of the assigned judge. Case assignments may be found on the Court’s public docket.

For eFiling technical and after-hours support, please contact the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC) Help Desk at (919) 890-2407. Please request that your ticket be directed to the eFiling development team.