July 2024

Dear Friend,

You have to be in the fight to win.  

I hold fast to these words when times are tough in the work for equity and justice. The headwinds we face are especially strong and furious these days, so it's even more important to pause and celebrate the wins.

I'm excited to share three recent victories we've been celebrating at the North Carolina Justice Center in this month's newsletter—settling a major consumer protection class action, saving automatic expunction in the legislature, and a milestone 500,000 North Carolinians enrolled in Medicaid. Hundreds of thousands of our neighbors will have greater economic security thanks to these successes.

It’s important to note these successes did not happen overnight. Each resulted from years—in some cases more than a decade—of tireless effort by our dedicated staff. Your partnership means we can sustain high-impact work that makes a real difference in North Carolina. Thank you for committing to walk alongside us.  

In solidarity,  

Reggie Shuford, Executive Director

In a major victory last month, the NC Justice Center secured a $5.75 million settlement in a class action lawsuit against Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA) for violating North Carolina debt collection laws. The settlement requires PRA to stop collection efforts and cancel approximately $35 million in default judgments. The lawsuit, filed in 2016, accused PRA of obtaining default judgments without proper evidence, affecting over 18,000 class members.

NC Justice Center Director of Litigation Carlene McNulty and Senior Staff Attorney Jason Pikler successfully argued for the settlement, which was approved by Durham County Superior Court Judge Michael O’Foghludha, who concluded that it was fair, adequate, and reasonable. This outcome underscores the importance of North Carolina's consumer protection laws and brings significant relief to those impacted by PRA’s practices. 

On July 12, the NC Justice Center celebrated the enrollment of 500,000 people into North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion program in less than a year—a huge and historic milestone for our state. Medicaid expansion is a lifeline for people across North Carolina, giving them access to comprehensive medical services—including mental health treatment, physical therapy, and dental care—and allowing them to fill prescriptions for chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and asthma, never paying more than a $4 copay. Expanding Medicaid not only directly benefits people’s health, but also contributes to our state’s economic growth, supports rural hospitals, reduces recidivism, and more. We are deeply proud of our Health Advocacy Team for their work in bringing about such an important and hard-fought policy win for North Carolinians. 

In a major win for second chance legislation, lawmakers preserved the automated expunction of dismissed and not guilty charges thanks to our collective efforts. Initially, lawmakers gutted Senate Bill 565 and rewrote it to repeal the automated expunction process, a crucial part of the 2020 NC Second Chance Act that allows people to access expunction relief without navigating the process on their own.

The Senate and House restored and unanimously passed the bill on June 27, 2024, and Governor Cooper signed it into law on July 8, 2024. Our Fair Chance Criminal Justice team worked tirelessly for years to bring about this victory, which ensures that over one million backlogged cases can now be addressed, providing much-needed relief for many. Automatic expunction removes a significant barrier for those seeking employment, housing, education, and a fresh start. As we celebrate, please thank your lawmakers and Governor Cooper for supporting this crucial law. 

On Thursday, August 22, join the NC Justice Center in honoring Frank Goldsmith with a Lifetime Champion of Justice Award. We are excited to recognize Frank, a civil and criminal lawyer who has worked tirelessly to create a more just and equitable North Carolina where everyone can thrive. Frank retired after practicing for over 50 years, and continues to work as a mediator and arbitrator. He is an expert in civil rights, employment discrimination, and criminal defense. Frank received the ACLU of North Carolina's Frank Porter Graham Award and was later honored with its International Human Rights Award for his work in representing Guantánamo detainees. 

On July 2, historians, advocates, and scholars gathered at the Chapel Hill Public Library to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. NC Justice Center Executive Director Reggie Shuford sat as a panelist for the symposium and “cited mass incarceration as another tool against justice.” The impact of the historic Civil Rights Act cannot be understated, however, our collective work to bring about a more equitable society is far from complete. In his closing keynote speech, Gene Nichol, distinguished law professor and NC Justice Center Lifetime Champion of Justice Awardee, expressed that “the search for justice is unending.” Now more than ever we must keep up the struggle toward opportunity and prosperity for all.  

We are proud to share that Andressia Ramirez, paralegal for the NC Justice Center’s Immigrant & Refugee Rights team and Workers’ Rights team, is one of 24 artists whose work is being showcased at a new exhibit at the Greenville Museum of Art (GMoA). The exhibit, titled The Home I Never Knew: Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá, brings together a wide range of Latino/a/x perspectives, traditions, cultures, and media.  

Andressia stated of her artwork, “To me, this photograph encapsulates the powerful connection to my cultural heritage and identity, evoking a deep sense of belonging and pride through the vibrant energy of my mother's folk dancing. It serves as a metaphor for my experience navigating the space between being Mexican and American, ultimately finding a home in the shared appreciation of our cultural roots.” 

The North Carolina Justice Center
224 S. Dawson Street  | Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
919-856-2570 | contact@ncjustice.org

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