Looney v. Community Bible Holiness Church

WELLS, Judge.

The fundamental question presented in this case is whether the defendant local church gave up its right to own and control the local church property by affiliating with the Church of God denomination. In their first assignment of error, plaintiffs assert that the answer to that question is “yes” and therefore the trial court erred in not granting their motion at trial for a directed verdict or for judgment notwithstanding the verdict.

As our Supreme Court has noted, it is rarely appropriate to grant a directed verdict pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1A-1, Rule 50 of the Rules of…