NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1979 SESSION

CHAPTER 268

HOUSE BILL 500

AN ACT TO ALLOW ASSESSMENT OF ATTORNEY FEES IN WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION CASES.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  Chapter 97 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

"§ 97-88.1.  Attorney's fees at original hearing. — If the Industrial Commission shall determine that any hearing has been brought, prosecuted, or defended without reasonable ground, it may assess the whole cost of the proceedings including reasonable fees for defendant's attorney or plaintiff's attorney upon the party who has brought or defended them."

Sec. 2.  This act shall become effective July 1, 1979.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 3rd day of April, 1979.