June 19, 2012 (Raleigh, NC): The North Carolina Court of Appeals has issued an opinion in favor of Tharrington Smith client, the Vance County Board of Education. For full text of this opinion, visit the NC Court of Appeals website here.

This case involved a group of plaintiffs who alleged that the Vance County Board of Education and its superintendent made illegal deductions from their salary to cover contributions to the state retirement system. A superior court judge granted Tharrington Smith’s motion to dismiss. Thereafter, one of the plaintiffs filed a motion for reconsideration. When the judge denied this motion, the plaintiff then appealed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Filing a brief on behalf of the Vance County Board of Education, Tharrington Smith Education Law group attorney Neal Ramee supported the judge’s decision and the Court of Appeals panel unanimously rejected the plaintiff’s appeal.

Tharrington Smith has been a partner to education in North Carolina for more than 30 years. Since 1978, the firm has served as general counsel to the North Carolina School Boards Association, and has assisted more than 100 school systems across the state with their legal needs. Providing a wide range of legal support involving personnel and student discipline issues, contracts, policy manual revisions, teacher dismissals, funding disputes, special education matters, school closings, construction, and everything in between, Tharrington Smith’s Education Law group represents clients in state, federal and administrative courts, and has demonstrated experience before the Office for Civil Rights, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. For more information about the Education Law practice area, visit our group website here.