April 5, 2025

North Carolina’s eCourts System Faces Federal Lawsuit

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News Summary

A federal lawsuit targets North Carolina’s eCourts system, which is accused of causing unlawful arrests and extended detentions. Plaintiffs cite software bugs and inadequate training of deputies as major issues. While the N.C. AOC defends the system’s implementation, critics express concerns over delays and privacy risks. The ongoing lawsuit could impact the future of the state’s judicial processes.

Allegations Fly As North Carolina’s eCourts System Faces Federal Lawsuit

In a dramatic twist, a federal lawsuit has emerged against North Carolina’s new electronic court records system, known as eCourts. This system, designed to streamline legal proceedings, is now under fire for allegedly contributing to what some describe as unlawful arrests and extended jail detentions.

Who’s Involved?

A U.S. District Judge, William Osteen, recently decided that the case could move forward against Tyler Technologies, which developed the eCourts system, as well as the Mecklenburg County Sheriff, Garry McFadden. However, Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe was removed from the lawsuit due to a legal concept called “statutory immunity”, which protects officials from being held responsible under certain conditions when carrying out their duties.

The lawsuit has around a dozen plaintiffs who say they were adversely affected after eCourts was implemented in 2023 across several counties, including Wake, Lee, Harnett, Johnston, and later in Mecklenburg. It raises a lot of red flags about the system’s efficacy and fairness.

What Went Wrong?

According to those involved, software bugs and human errors have caused some individuals to be arrested multiple times under the same warrants. It’s a serious allegation, and many have found themselves facing unreasonably long times in jail even after they were set to be released. Reports indicate that during the early days of eCourts, numerous individuals faced prolonged detention at the Mecklenburg County jail.

Judge Osteen recognized that there are valid claims indicating that Tyler Technologies might not have delivered a software system that was defect-free, thus leading to wrongful detentions.

Furthermore, the lawsuit contends that the Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office failed to adequately train its deputies on the proper use of the eCourts software. This lack of training could have contributed to these alleged constitutional violations experienced by affected individuals.

Expanding the Lawsuit

Although the original complaint also targeted leaders from the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (N.C. AOC) and other sheriffs, those claims were voluntarily dismissed. As of now, there’s no trial date set, but the plaintiffs are determined to widen the scope of the lawsuit to include other individuals who have felt the negative effects of eCourts.

Criticism from Multiple Corners

Critics of the eCourts system are voicing their frustrations loud and clear. Many attorneys have highlighted that the system’s rollout has been slow, cumbersome, and has created unnecessary delays in case processing. This administrative snarl is causing real-world problems, including extended detentions and complications in cases involving domestic violence and child custody.

Even elected prosecutors in various counties are not happy campers, as they report that the technological glitches and issues tied to eCourts have amplified their workload while simultaneously reducing their ability to effectively manage cases.

Privacy concerns also loom large as some prosecutors worry about the sensitive nature of information within the eCourts system. Issues surrounding the safety of victims and witnesses have prompted outcries for more robust protocols to safeguard their information.

The N.C. AOC Stands Firm

Despite all the criticisms, the N.C. AOC is continuing to defend the implementation of eCourts. They emphasize that moving away from outdated technology is crucial to ensuring a more efficient judicial process, even if the path to that goal has been rocky.

As North Carolina’s eCourts system plans to expand from 62 to 100 counties by the fall of 2025, the lawsuit and associated claims may just be the tip of the iceberg in what looks like a long road ahead for modernizing the state’s judicial system. The coming months will be crucial as this legal tussle unfolds, potentially impacting countless lives and the future of how justice is administered.