A significant legal victory for thousands of coastal property owners as the state’s highest court gives a green light to a major class-action lawsuit. The North Carolina Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision Friday allowing a massive challenge to solid waste fees in Carteret County to move forward.
The case, Armistead v. Carteret County, was brought by property owners who allege they were unlawfully charged annual "Green Box" and landfill fees—even though they already pay private companies for trash collection.
Carteret County officials argued the lawsuit shouldn’t proceed as a class action, claiming the thousands of affected residents were too difficult to identify. However, the justices disagreed, ruling that private waste collection lists make it simple to determine who was double-charged.
This isn’t the only fee dispute on the court’s radar. Justices also cleared a path for a 16-million-dollar class-action suit against the City of Raleigh over water and sewer impact fees charged to homebuilders.
For people in Carteret County, the ruling means the case now returns to a lower court, potentially leading to significant refunds for those overcharged for trash services.
