A unanimous three-judge panel of the N.C. Court of Appeals affirmed this morning a lower-court ruling blocking implementation of a 2012 state law giving the N.C. Bail Agents Association the exclusive right to train bail bondsmen.

Among other new opinions released this morning from the N.C. Court of Appeals:

  • A unanimous three-judge panel issued a mixed ruling generally favorable to a Durham man suing certain officials because of the 4-year, 9-month delay between his arrest and trial on charges including robbery, kidnapping, and burglary. While upholding a lower-court ruling blocking a suit against the city itself, suits against the police chief, district attorney, and other officials can proceed.
  • A unanimous three-judge panel reversed a lower court and ruled that a driver injured in a 2007 collision with a bus carrying the Charlotte Providence High School football team can proceed with a lawsuit against the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board.
  • A unanimous three-judge panel found no error in a Wayne County shooting assault case involving a defendant who claimed racial bias in the jury selection for his trial.
  • A unanimous three-judge panel affirmed a trial-court ruling against the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles in a case involving a Nash County business owner who was improperly allowed to appear without a lawyer in a DMV hearing linked to charges that he conducted illegal vehicle safety inspections.
  • A unanimous three-judge panel affirmed a trial-court ruling against a Raleigh police officer who was challenging a 180-day suspension of his law enforcement certification after he was accused of submitting falsified training records.
  • A unanimous three-judge panel reversed a lower court and ruled in favor of a property owner in a dispute with the Guilford County town of Summerfield over the type of material used in his fence.
  • A unanimous three-judge panel affirmed a ruling from the N.C. Utilities Commission against Smithfield in a dispute involving the town, Progress Energy, and responsibility for provision of electricity within the town.
  • A unanimous three-judge panel affirmed a trial-court ruling favoring the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission in a dispute over the proper setback requirement for an oceanfront development at Bald Head Island.