Claims for harm from Allergan implants in North Carolina

North Carolina plaintiffs may join MDL 2921 in the District of New Jersey (Judge Brian R. Martinotti) or file in North Carolina state court. North Carolina has no BIOCELL-specific coordinated state proceeding. Federal filings from North Carolina originate in the Middle District of North Carolina (Greensboro), Eastern District (Raleigh), or Western District (Charlotte) before transfer to D.N.J. North Carolina is a growing plaintiff state in BIOCELL litigation, driven by Charlotte and the Research Triangle's cosmetic surgery markets.

North Carolina applies a three-year statute of limitations for personal injury under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52(16). The discovery rule applies: the limitations period runs from when the plaintiff discovered or should have discovered the injury. North Carolina also has a six-year statute of repose for products liability under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-50(a)(6), running from the date of last purchase of the product. This repose period is shorter than many other states and is a priority filing consideration for plaintiffs with pre-2020 implant dates.

Mecklenburg County Superior Court (Charlotte) and Wake County Superior Court (Raleigh) are the primary North Carolina state court venues for complex product liability. The Business Court (North Carolina's specialized complex business litigation court) may have concurrent jurisdiction over corporate defendant claims. In federal court, the Middle District of North Carolina (Greensboro) and Western District (Charlotte, Judge Kenneth Bell) handle complex civil matters. North Carolina follows the Daubert standard under Rule 702 of the North Carolina Rules of Evidence.

North Carolina BIOCELL exposure is concentrated in Charlotte (Mecklenburg County), the Raleigh–Durham Research Triangle (Wake, Durham, Orange counties), and the Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem). Charlotte's SouthPark and Ballantyne corridors host a significant concentration of plastic surgery practices with high augmentation volume during the BIOCELL era. Academic programs at Duke University Health System, UNC Health, and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center are potential implant placement sites. The state's growing affluent suburban population drove cosmetic surgery demand throughout the 2005–2019 period.