RALEIGH — A three-judge panel from the North Carolina Court of Appeals will hear two oral arguments at Campbell Law School on Tuesday, March 3. Chief Judge Linda McGee will hear the cases, joined by Campbell Law alumni Judge Donna Stroud (‘88) and Judge John M. Tyson (‘79). The oral arguments will start at 9:30 a.m. in the Boyce Courtroom.
The panel will hear oral arguments for the case State v. Stephens, in which the defendant-appellant was charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling, according to court documents. A jury found the defendant guilty of the same. The issues on appeal are whether the trial court committed reversible error by determining a self-defense instruction should not be given and excluding relevant evidence.
The panel will also be presented with oral arguments regarding the issues set forth in Leonard v. Bell. In this medical malpractice case, the plaintiff-appellant alleges that the defendant doctors were negligent in their provision of medical care while he was in the custody of the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections. The trial court granted the defendant’s motion to dismiss on the grounds that plaintiff-appellant did not comply with North Carolina Rule of Civil Procedure 9(j). This rule requires a plaintiff’s complaint in a medical malpractice case to be accompanied with a certification that the plaintiff’s expert has reviewed all medical records pertaining to the case. On appeal, the panel will consider whether the trial court erred by dismissing the case for failure to comply with Rule 9(j).
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW
Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts more than 4,200 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2019, Campbell Law celebrated 40 years of graduating legal leaders and 10 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.