Summary
holding that appellate courts "must conduct a de novo review of the pleadings to determine their legal sufficiency and to determine whether the trial court's ruling on the motion to dismiss was correct"
Summary of this case from The New Hanover Cnty. Bd. of Educ. v. SteinOpinion
No. 277A03
Filed 7 November 2003
Appeal pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 7A-30(2) from the decision of a divided panel of the Court of Appeals, 157 N.C. App. 396, 580 S.E.2d 1 (2003), affirming an order entered 30 July 2001 by Judge W. Russell Duke, Jr. in Superior Court, Pitt County. Heard in the Supreme Court 15 October 2003.
Loflin Loflin, by Thomas F. Loflin, and Oliver Wright Leary, pro se, for plaintiff-appellant. Lee, Hancock Lasitter, P.A., by Moses D. Lasitter, for defendant-appellees N.C. Forest Products, Inc., Moses Lasitter, Joseph Wetherington, Christopher L. Wetherington, Tammy Wetherington, and The Law Firm of Lee, Hancock, Lasitter King. Dees, Smith, Powell, Jarrett, Dees Jones, by Tommy W. Jarrett, for defendant-appellee Canal Wood Corporation. David C. Sutton, for defendant-appellees Mamie E. Leary, T. Barbara Leary, Mamie Ruth Leary Claggett, Elmer Lee Leary, Sr., Pattie Leary, Linwood Richard Leary, Sr., Sandra Leary Grissom, Laura M. Leary Elliott, Allen R. Elliott, Shirley Leary Staten, Harold J.R. Leary, Richard Smith, Elmer Lee Leary, Jr., Patrick L. Leary, Kenneth Leary, and Arlene P. Smith.
AFFIRMED.