N.C. Judge Trims Claims from Lawsuit Against Roof Shingle Manufacturer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A federal judge has ruled that the economic loss rule bars fraud and negligence claims against a manufacturer of asphalt shingles that began deteriorating and sliding off a plaintiff’s roof two years after he purchased the home.

Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. said in an Oct. 8 decision in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina that because Eric Malone’s complaint against Tamko Roofing Product Inc. only alleges damage to the roof itself, Malone is limited to recovering on claims sounding only in warranty.

In 2010, Malone purchased a foreclosed Waxhaw, N.C., home …