Appellate Court Opinions

termination of parental rights; disposition; best interests; ineffective assistance of counsel; affirmed.

termination of parental rights; abuse of discretion; best interests of the child; grounds for termination; foster care; reasonable progress; consent to adoption

Termination of parental rights, findings of fact, abuse of discretion, weighing of evidence, trier of fact.

interlocutory order; dismissal; risk of inconsistent verdicts; premature, fragmentary appeal

N.C. Gen. Stat. 153A-103(1); waiver of immunity; Register of Deeds; subject-matter jurisdiction

Office of Administrative Hearings; Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System (TSERS); subject-matter jurisdiction; constitutional issues

Jury instructions; second-degree murder; aggressor exception to self-defense; prejudice; new trial; preservation

motion for mistrial; curative instruction; restitution awards

ineffective assistance of counsel; trial strategy; no error.

secret peeping; second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor; third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor

Sexual battery; Motion to dismiss; Sufficiency of evidence.

motion to dismiss; felony obstruction of justice; willful failure to discharge duties

Rule 404(b), Rule 403, impeachment, abuse of discretion

Lay-opinion testimony; curative instruction; ineffective assistance of counsel.

Jury instructions; lesser-included offenses; prejudice to Defendant; Rule 403 prejudice

DVPO; notice; reasonable fear; substantial evidence.

Plain error, jury instruction, improper purpose, lay opinion, ineffective assistance of counsel.

delinquincy proceedings, motion to dismiss, acting in concert

Interlocutory; Motion to Dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6); Legal Sufficiency of a Complaint.

Directed verdict; JNOV; Jury instruction; Breach of contract; Contract formation.