Defendant's Claim of Employer Status Allows Him to Void Default Judgment

The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled that the defendant in a wrongful death action was entitled to void a default judgment against him that arose from a fatal car accident involving his alleged employee. Stephanique D. Bell died in a single-vehicle car accident in June 2013. The 32-year old mother was a passenger in a vehicle owned by Thomas Cheek Marshall when the accident occurred. Rasheka Renee Smith was driving the car east on Interstate 40 when it hydroplaned, ran off the road, struck a metal guardrail and rolled several times. Bell was ejected from the vehicle and died at the...