Press Release
Raleigh, N.C. – A bill that strengthens North Carolina trespass case law to better protect the rights of private property owners became law Wednesday after the North Carolina Senate overrode Gov. Pat McCrory’s veto.
House Bill 405, the Property Protection Act, gives property owners a defense against perpetrators who gain access to the nonpublic areas of their property and then engage in unauthorized activities. The bill does not change existing state laws that protect whistle blowers, and it makes clear that they, along with law enforcement officers engaged in lawful investigations, cannot be held liable.
“Today the Senate took action to provide North Carolina business owners much-needed tools to safeguard the security of their intellectual property, private records and confidential consumer information – while still protecting whistleblowers and employees who report illegal activity to the authorities,” and said Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee co-chairman Brent Jackson (R-Sampson), who guided the bill through the Senate. “The claims made about this bill have been at best misguided and at worst misleading, but the fact is both employers and employees across our state will benefit from these important protections becoming law.”
