Golden Rule Insurance v. Long

ARNOLD, Chief Judge.

When a suit is brought against a public official in his official capacity the issue of sovereign immunity is raised. See Bland v. City of Wilmington, 278 N.C. 657, 180 S.E.2d 813 (1971). “The doctrine of sovereign immunity — that the State cannot be sued without its consent —has long been the law in North Carolina.” Smith v. State, 289 N.C. 303, 309, 222 S.E.2d 412, 417 (1976). The doctrine proscribes, among others, “suits to prevent a State officer or commission from performing official duties or to control the exercise of judgment on the part of State officers or…