N.C. Court Says Sovereign Immunity Waiver Limited By Insurance Exclusion

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina's Court of Appeals has reversed a trial court decision to allow county employees to sue over workplace mold, ruling that county commissioners did not waive sovereign immunity by their purchase of liability insurance. Satorre v. New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, No. COA03-648 (N.C. Ct. App.).

Teresa H. Satorre and seven co-workers sued New Hanover County, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, county manager and county health director, alleging injuries from mold, carbon monoxide and other contaminants in the New Hanover Count Courthouse in Wilmington, N.C.

New Hanover moved for summary judgment claiming sovereign …