IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF NORTH CAROLINA

2022-NCCOA-27

No. COA20-698

Filed 18 January 2022

Mecklenburg County, No. 18 CVD 20536

DAN KING PLUMBING HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING, LLC, Plaintiff,

v.

AVONZO HARRISON, Defendant.

Appeal by Defendant from judgment entered on 12 March 2020 by Judge 

Paulina Havelka in Mecklenburg County District Court. Plaintiff filed a crossappeal. Heard in the Court of Appeals 25 May 2021.

Hull & Chandler, P.A., by A. Joseph Volta, for Plaintiff-Appellee/CrossAppellant.

Redding Jones, PLLC, by Joseph R. Pellington, Corey Parton, and Joseph H. 

Powell, for Defendant-Appellant.

JACKSON, Judge.

¶ 1 This case presents a number of issues stemming from a contractual dispute 

between homeowner Avonzo Harrison (“Defendant”) and the company that installed 

his HVAC system, Dan King Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning (“the 

Company”). The action began when the Company filed suit against Defendant for 

money owed on the contract, and in response Defendant filed counter-claims against 

the Company for breach of contract and unfair and deceptive trade practices 
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(“UDTP”). Following a jury trial, the Company was found liable for breach of contract, 

but the trial court dismissed Defendant’s UDTP claim.

¶ 2 In his appeal, Defendant argues that the trial court erred in (1) ruling that the 

Company’s actions did not constitute UDTP; and (2) not allowing him to amend his 

counterclaim to add a new debt collections UDTP claim. In its cross-appeal, the 

Company contends that the trial court erred in (1) denying the Company’s motion for 

directed verdict on the breach of contract claim; (2) refusing to consider the 

Company’s claim for attorneys’ fees; and (3) denying the Company its right to make 

a final closing argument. We affirm in full the trial court’s rulings as to the 

amendment of the counterclaim and the ordering of closing arguments. Because we 

hold that the trial court erred, in part, with regard to its evaluation of Defendant’s 

UDTP claims and the Company’s motion for directed verdict, we affirm in part, 

reverse in part, and remand on these issues. 

I. Factual and Procedural Background

¶ 3 This case arises from a dispute between Defendant and the Company 

regarding plumbing, heating, and air conditioning services that the Company 

provided to Defendant in 2017—2018. Defendant is the owner of a home located on 

Symphony Woods Drive in Charlotte, North Carolina. Defendant decided to have a 

number of renovations done to the plumbing and HVAC systems in the home, and 

hired the Company for the task. On 25 October 2017, an employee of the Company, 
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Adam Whal, visited Defendant’s home to provide estimates for the work—which 

included new water heaters, a new HVAC system, a water filtration system, and 

extensive piping replacement. Defendant was charged $227.37 for the initial site 

visit and inspection.

¶ 4 On 1 November 2017, Defendant went to the Company’s office in-person to 

meet with Paul Stefano, the general manager, and Ernie Rodriguez, the sales 

manager. The managers outlined options and prepared written quotes for the 

plumbing and HVAC work to be performed on Defendant’s home. After performing 

some independent research, Defendant returned to the office the following day and 

ultimately signed two separate contracts: a $16,324 contract for the plumbing work, 

and a separate $17,076 contract for the HVAC work. The work and warranties 

included, among other items not relevant to this appeal:

(1)Plumbing

a. Installing a whole-house water filtration system.

i. 10-year parts, 5-year media, and 2-year labor warranty.

b. Installing a tankless hot water heater and heat exchanger. 

i. 5-year parts and 5-year labor warranty, and 5-years of required 

maintenance. 

c. Replacement of all polybutylene piping with PEX piping “within 

reason,” not to include drywall repair. 

i. 2-year guarantee, including parts and labor.
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(2) HVAC

a. Removing, replacing, and installing a 2-ton HVAC system upstairs and 

a 5-ton HVAC system downstairs. 

i. 12-year parts and labor warranty, and 1-year of 

maintenance. 

b. Insulating the attic. 

¶ 5 Following the finalization of the contract on 2 November 2017, the Company 

began performing plumbing work in the home in early November 2017.1 The 

Company obtained a permit for the plumbing work, and the plumbing work was 

completed and ultimately passed its final inspection on 4 December 2017. 

¶ 6 During the time that the Company was performing the plumbing work, 

Defendant was engaged in several other on-site home renovation projects, such as 

removing the old bathroom vanities and installing new ones, and removing the old 

kitchen cabinets and installing new ones. Defendant brought in outside workers from 

Habitat for Humanity to assist in this work.

¶ 7 Sometime during this period, the Company ran into unanticipated difficulties 

in installing the tankless water heaters that were specified in the contract. Two

employees of the Company, Tommy Rea and Adam Whal, spoke with Defendant, and

 

1 During the time period that the plumbing and HVAC work was being performed, Defendant 

was not residing at the property and the property was unoccupied.
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recommended that they install traditional tank-based water heaters instead. 

Defendant agreed, and the parties then entered into a modified oral agreement for 

the water heaters.

¶ 8 The modified agreement was memorialized in a written document, dated 7 

November 2017, which specified that the filtration system and re-piping work would 

remain the same, but the tankless water heater would be replaced with two 50-gallon, 

tank-based water heaters. The modified written agreement was $437 more than the 

original plumbing contract, and did not mention any warranties.

¶ 9 Defendant, however, denies having ever seen or signed the 7 November written 

agreement. He asserts that the discussion surrounding the tank-based water heaters 

was only an oral agreement, and was never presented with a new written contract for 

the plumbing work. He believes that his signature was forged on the 7 November 

document. 

¶ 10 On the 7 November written agreement, there appears to be a second signature 

visible underneath Defendant’s. The Company asserts that Chad Cockerill, the 

employee who filled out and signed the 7 November written agreement, accidentally 

signed the agreement in the wrong place and used white-out to correct the mistake, 

and that Defendant then signed on top of Chad’s whited-out signature. Adam Whal 

maintains that he witnessed Defendant signing the new contract over the whited-out 

portion. At trial, the jury agreed with Defendant and found that the Company 
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“superimpose[d] Mr. Harrison’s signature onto a document Mr. Harrison did not 

sign.”

¶ 11 Adam Whal returned to Defendant’s home on 8 November 2017 to conduct a 

final inspection and test of the completed plumbing work. The inspection revealed 

that all plumbing was functional; however, a 40-gallon tank heater had been installed 

upstairs and a 50-gallon tank heater had been installed downstairs—despite the fact 

that the amended agreement specified two 50-gallon heaters.

¶ 12 The Company also began work on the HVAC system during the first week of 

November 2017. The Company obtained a permit for the HVAC work on 3 November 

2017, and on this date the Company also completed an “Installation Excellence 

Checklist” regarding the HVAC work. The Checklist included a list of approximately 

50 tasks related to the HVAC work on the home, and indicated that all relevant 

HVAC tasks had been completed. However, according to the testimony of both 

Defendant and employees of the Company, the HVAC work had not, in fact, been 

completed as of 3 November 2017. Defendant asserts that none of the tasks were 

complete as of that date, while the Company maintains that some of the tasks were 

completed as of that date. It is unclear from the record when the HVAC work was 

actually completed, though it was completed at least by February 2018 when it passed 

inspection.

¶ 13 On 19 November 2017, Defendant emailed Paul Stefano a “punch list” listing 
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several uncompleted plumbing and HVAC tasks, and expressing concern over the 

completeness of the re-piping work and the professionalism exhibited by the 

Company. On 30 November 2017, the Company returned to Defendant’s residence to 

conduct a final walkthrough of the plumping work, prior to inspection. The plumbing 

work passed County inspection on 4 December 2017. In February of 2018, the HVAC 

work passed County inspection. The Company visited Defendant’s residence several 

more times between 18 December 2017 and 3 July 2018 to complete various 

miscellaneous items the parties had contracted for, including the attic insulation.

¶ 14 On several occasions during 2018, Defendant hired or requested quotes from 

third-party contractors to complete or remediate some of the work performed by the 

Company, such as replacing one of the water heaters that had begun to leak. He 

chose to use third-parties, rather than contract any further with the Company or 

make a claim under the warranty, because their relationship had deteriorated and 

he did not trust the quality of their work. Defendant also personally registered the 

manufacturers’ warranties for the equipment purchased through the Company, 

contrary to his expectations.

¶ 15 When it came time to make payments, under the original two 2 November 

contracts, Defendant owed the Company $33,400. Under the 7 November amended 

contract, the amount due was slightly higher, $33,702.97. Defendant paid $30,000 of 

the amount due on 15 November 2017, via funds obtained from a third-party creditor. 
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The Company calculated Defendant’s outstanding balance as the remaining 

$3,702.92, less a $227 difference crediting the cost of the 25 October visit to 

Defendant’s account, as the parties had agreed to. This amount was not paid by 

Defendant.

¶ 16 On 18 August 2018, the Company commenced a small claims action against 

Defendant in Mecklenburg County, requesting money owed for contractual services 

rendered. The magistrate dismissed the action with prejudice on 17 October 2018, 

finding that the Company had failed to prove the case by the greater weight of the 

evidence. The Company timely filed a notice of appeal to the District Court on 25 

October 2018.

¶ 17 On 14 November 2018, Defendant filed an answer denying all allegations in 

the complaint, and also filed a counterclaim against the Company, alleging various 

misrepresentations and contractual breaches. The Company replied, denied all of 

Defendant’s allegations, and moved to dismiss the countersuit on 17 December 2018. 

On 20 February 2019, Defendant moved to file an amended counterclaim. The 

District Court granted Defendant’s motion to amend on 29 March 2019. In his 

amended counterclaim, Defendant added claims for breach of contract, unfair and 

deceptive trade practices, fraud, and breach of the implied warranty of workmanship. 

The Company answered the amended counterclaim on 29 July 2019, substantially 

denying all allegations and raising a number of affirmative defenses. 
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¶ 18 On 3 September 2019, the Company moved for summary judgment and 

attorneys’ fees. On 20 December 2019, a summary judgment hearing was held before 

the Honorable Kimberley Y. Best. During this hearing, Defendant voluntarily 

dismissed the fraud counterclaim. On 7 January 2020, the trial court issued an order 

granting in part and denying in part the Company’s motion for summary judgment. 

The court awarded summary judgment to the Company with respect to one aspect of 

Defendant’s UDTP claim—namely, his claim that the Company had “[generated] the 

altered invoice reflecting a 4-ton unit versus a 5-ton unit”—but the court denied 

summary judgment with respect to the remainder of the parties’ claims and 

counterclaims.

¶ 19 A jury trial was held beginning on 18 February 2020, presided over by the 

Honorable Paulina Havelka. During trial, the court rejected a motion by Defendant 

to amend his counterclaim to include a UDTP claim for unfair debt collection 

practices by the Company, ruling that Defendant had not raised the issue properly 

prior to trial.

¶ 20 The trial concluded on 24 February 2020, and the jury returned a verdict in 

favor of Defendant on all breach of contract claims and findings of fact concerning the 

UDTP claims. The jury awarded Defendant damages in the amount of $15,572 for 

the breach of contract and $15,000 for injuries associated with the UDTP claims.

¶ 21 On 26 February 2020, an additional hearing was held before Judge Havelka, 
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in order to determine whether the facts found by the jury amounted to UDTP as a 

matter of law. The court ultimately ruled that none of the jury’s findings amounted 

to unfair or deceptive trade practices, and dismissed all remaining claims with 

prejudice. Before the hearing adjourned, the parties also discussed the possibility of 

scheduling a further post-trial hearing to determine potential awards of attorneys’ 

fees, but the fee hearing never occurred.

¶ 22 On 11 March 2020, the Company filed a motion requesting to set aside the 

jury’s verdict, and requesting to be heard on attorneys’ fees. Later that same day, 

the trial court entered its written judgment in favor of Defendant, awarding him 

damages of $15,572 plus interest on the breach of contract claims, in accord with the 

jury’s verdict. The judgment noted that none of the jury’s findings amounted to unfair 

or deceptive trade practices, and dismissed all of the parties’ remaining claims with 

prejudice. 

¶ 23 On 3 April 2020 and 8 April 2020, the Company and Defendant, respectively, 

noticed appeal from the trial court’s judgment.

II. Analysis

¶ 24 We first address Defendant’s appeal, and then proceed to discuss the 

Company’s appeal. 

A. Whether the Jury’s Findings Amounted to UDTP

¶ 25 Defendant first contends that the trial court erred by ruling that the jury’s 
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findings of fact did not, as a matter of law, amount to unfair and deceptive trade 

practices. We agree with respect to the duplicate warranties claim, but disagree with 

respect to the forged signature and installation checklist claims. We accordingly 

affirm in part and remand in part. 

¶ 26 Under North Carolina law, a consumer may bring a private cause of action 

against businesses who engage in unfair and deceptive trade practices. See N.C. Gen. 

Stat. § 75-1.1 (2019). The statute is intended to “provide consumers with a remedy 

for injuries done to them by dishonest and unscrupulous business practices.” Hester 

v. Hubert Vester Ford, Inc., 239 N.C. App. 22, 30, 767 S.E.2d 129, 136 (2015).

¶ 27 “In order to establish a violation of N.C.G.S. § 75-1.1, a plaintiff must show: 

(1) an unfair or deceptive act or practice, (2) in or affecting commerce, and (3) which 

proximately caused injury to plaintiffs.” Gray v. N. Carolina Ins. Underwriting Ass’n, 

352 N.C. 61, 68, 529 S.E.2d 676, 681 (2000). Ordinarily, in a UDTP case, the jury will 

determine the facts of the case, and the trial court, “based on the jury’s findings, then 

determines, as a matter of law, whether the defendant engaged in unfair or deceptive 

practices in or affecting commerce.” Id. This Court reviews the trial court’s 

conclusions of law on unfair or deceptive trade practices de novo. See Terry’s Floor 

Fashions, Inc. v. Crown Gen. Contractors, Inc., 184 N.C. App. 1, 21, 645 S.E.2d 810, 

823 (2007).

¶ 28 This case requires us to examine two corollary doctrines under our UDTP 
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caselaw—the “aggravating circumstances” doctrine, and the “reliance” doctrine. The 

first doctrine comes into play when a plaintiff’s UDTP claim is centered around the 

defendant’s breach of a contract. Our courts have long held that a mere breach of 

contract, standing alone, is not sufficient to maintain a UDTP claim. See, e.g., Branch 

Banking & Tr. Co. v. Thompson, 107 N.C. App. 53, 62, 418 S.E.2d 694, 700 (1992)

(“[A] mere breach of contract, even if intentional, is not sufficiently unfair or deceptive 

to sustain an action under N.C.G.S. § 75-1.1.”). 

¶ 29 When a plaintiff alleges a UDTP violation based upon a breach of contract, the 

plaintiff “must show substantial aggravating circumstances attending the breach to 

recover under the Act[.]” Id. (internal marks and citation omitted). Tortious conduct 

must be shown. “Fraud or deception” can constitute aggravating circumstances, 

when it rises to the level of a practice that is “immoral, unethical, oppressive, 

unscrupulous, or substantially injurious to consumers.” Supplee v. Miller-Motte Bus. 

Coll., Inc., 239 N.C. App. 208, 230-31, 768 S.E.2d 582, 598-99 (2015).

¶ 30 The second doctrine—the reliance doctrine—holds that in order to satisfy 

proximate cause, a plaintiff must demonstrate that they detrimentally relied on the 

defendant’s alleged misrepresentation or deception in order to recover under the 

statute. See DC Custom Freight, LLC v. Tammy A. Ross & Assocs., Inc., 273 N.C. 

App. 220, 233, 848 S.E.2d 552, 562 (2020); Pearce v. Am. Defender Life Ins. Co., 316 

N.C. 461, 471, 343 S.E.2d 174, 180 (1986). Reliance, in turn, is comprised of two 
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factors—actual reliance and reasonableness. Bumpers v. Cmty. Bank of N. Virginia, 

367 N.C. 81, 89, 747 S.E.2d 220, 227 (2013). The first element—actual reliance—

requires a showing that “the plaintiff [] affirmatively incorporated the alleged 

misrepresentation into his or her decision-making process: if it were not for the 

misrepresentation, the plaintiff would likely have avoided the injury altogether.” Id. 

at 90, 747 S.E.2d at 227. In other words, the plaintiff must have “acted or refrained 

from acting in a certain manner due to the defendant’s representations.” Williams v. 

United Cmty. Bank, 218 N.C. App. 361, 368, 724 S.E.2d 543, 549 (2012 (internal 

marks and citation omitted). The second element—reasonableness—requires a 

showing that the plaintiff’s reliance on the defendant’s “allegedly false 

representations [was] reasonable.” Bumpers, 367 N.C. at 90, 747 S.E.2d at 227. A 

plaintiff’s reliance is not reasonable when “the plaintiff could have discovered the 

truth of the matter through reasonable diligence, but failed to investigate.” Id. 

¶ 31 Here, Defendant contends that the Company committed UDTP in three 

respects: (1) by superimposing Mr. Harrison’s signature on the amended contract; (2) 

by selling him duplicate warranties; and (3) by misrepresenting the completeness of 

the work via the installation checklist. The Company, in response, argues that 

Defendant has no UDTP claim because is unable to show that he detrimentally relied 

on any purported misrepresentation by the Company, and because he is unable to 

show that the Company’s conduct rose to the level of aggravating circumstances. 
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¶ 32 With respect to the superimposition of the signature, we affirm, as Defendant 

cannot show actual reliance. With respect to the installation checklist, we also affirm, 

as Defendant cannot show injury. However, with respect to the asserted fraud in 

duplicate warranties, we remand for further fact-finding regarding the 

reasonableness of Defendant’s reliance. 

1. Superimposition of Defendant’s Signature

¶ 33 Defendant first argues that the Company committed UDTP by superimposing 

his signature on 7 November contract. To review, Defendant and the Company 

entered into a contract for the plumbing work on his home on 2 November 2017. 

Several days later, after the Company had begun work on the project, unanticipated 

difficulties arose with the installation of the tankless water heater. So, Defendant 

and the Company reached an oral agreement to install two 50-gallon, tank-based 

water heaters in place of the tankless water heater. The Company then created a 

new written contract on 7 November 2017, which contained two key differences—a 

$437 difference in the contractual cost, and a provision for the installation of two 50-

gallon, tank-based heaters. However, Defendant testified that he was never 

presented with the 7 November contract (at least until after this litigation began), 

and maintains that his signature on the contract was forged. The jury sided with 

Defendant and found that his signature had been superimposed on the 7 November 

contract. 
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¶ 34 We must now address whether these actions amounted to UDTP, above and 

beyond a mere breach of contract. The first element of a UDTP claim requires proof 

that the business engaged in “an unfair or deceptive trade practice.” A practice is 

deceptive when “it has the capacity or tendency to deceive.” Walker v. Fleetwood 

Homes of N. Carolina, Inc., 362 N.C. 63, 72, 653 S.E.2d 393, 399 (2007). The act of 

signing someone else’s name to a document without their authorization constitutes 

an act with the capacity to deceive, thus satisfying the first element. The second 

element of a UDTP claim requires proof that the conduct was “in or affecting 

commerce,” and both parties here agree that a contract for plumbing services satisfies 

this element.

¶ 35 The third element of a UDTP claim requires proof that the unfair or deceptive 

acts “proximately caused injury” to the plaintiff. As explained above, our courts have 

interpreted this proximate cause element as requiring proof of detrimental reliance 

by the plaintiff—reliance which causes injury, and which is both actual and 

reasonable. As for actual reliance, Defendant here must show that he incorporated 

the Company’s misrepresentation into his decision-making process, or that he “acted 

or refrained from acting in a certain manner” due to the Company’s deceptive acts. 

Williams, 218 N.C. App. at 368, 724 S.E.2d at 549. As for reasonable reliance, 

Defendant must show that his reliance on the company’s deceptive acts was 

reasonable. Both of these inquiries require “examin[ing] the mental state of the 
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plaintiff.” Bumpers, 367 N.C. at 89, 747 S.E.2d at 227. 

¶ 36 The Company argues that Defendant cannot show actual reliance because, 

according to his own admission, Defendant “never saw the 7 November Plumbing 

Contract until approximately twelve to fourteen months after he initially met with 

[the Company].” Accordingly, because Defendant never received the allegedly forged 

contract until long after the work was completed, he could not have relied upon its 

contents to his detriment—i.e., he could not have relied upon a document that he did 

not know existed. 

¶ 37 Defendant, in contrast, appears to argue that he detrimentally relied upon the 

price and terms that the Company provided to him in the original contract—and that 

the damage he suffered was reflected in the increased price of the second (forged) 

contract, and the installation of different equipment than he had originally 

contracted for. 

¶ 38 We agree with the Company that this set of facts does not ultimately amount 

to UDTP. Even if we accept as fact that the Company forged the second contract, 

Defendant still cannot show that he actually relied on this misrepresentation by the 

company. A helpful precedent here is Fazzari v. Infinity Partners, LLC, 235 N.C. 

App. 233, 762 S.E.2d 237 (2014). In that case, a planned subdivision development 

failed after the properties were significantly over-appraised in representations made 

to lenders. Id. at 234-36, 762 S.E.2d at 238-39. The plaintiffs (who had all purchased 
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lots in the planned subdivision) brought suit against the developers for UDTP, 

claiming that they relied on misrepresentations by the developer and appraisers “in 

making their decisions to take out the loans on which they later defaulted.” Id. at 

244, 762 S.E.2d at 244. On appeal, we held that the trial court had properly denied 

summary judgment to the plaintiff purchasers, as they were unable to demonstrate 

they actually relied on the deceptive appraisals. Id. at 243, 762 S.E.2d at 243.

¶ 39 We noted that the plaintiffs had testified that the developer “did not make any 

misrepresentations to them in regard to their loans[,]” apart from stating that the 

development project “should do well” and was “the real deal.” Id. at 244, 762 S.E.2d 

at 244 (internal marks omitted). More importantly, even if these puffering or 

noncommittal statements “could be construed as factual misrepresentations,” these 

remarks were not made until after the plaintiffs had already purchased their lots—

and so the plaintiffs could not have relied on these statements. Id. 

¶ 40 Likewise, with regard to the over-appraisal of the lots, we similarly concluded 

that no actual reliance was shown. See id. at 245, 762 S.E.2d at 244. We summed 

up the evidence as follows:

the plaintiffs were purchasers of lots in [a] real estate 

investment scheme in which [the appraiser] appraised a 

large number of lots at an identical, inflated value to meet 

the loan-to-value conditions required to obtain bank loans. 

The scheme . . . involved contracts that promised 

repurchase of lots with a guaranteed profit for the 

investors. [However], the development was never 
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completed, and investors were left with large loans and lots 

worth only a fraction of their appraised values. 

Id. (internal marks and citations omitted).

¶ 41 Despite this unsavory behavior by the developers and appraisers, we 

nevertheless held that the plaintiffs could not show actual reliance because “[a]ll of 

the evidence show[ed] that the plaintiffs made their decisions to invest in the 

development and contracted to do so without any awareness of, much less reliance 

on, the appraisals.” Id. This is because the misleading appraisals did not occur until 

after the plaintiffs had already signed their purchase contracts. Id. Thus, we 

concluded that the plaintiffs “cannot have relied on information they did not see and 

did not know existed (some of which did not, in fact, yet exist) at the time of their 

decisions.” Id., 762 S.E.2d at 245. Accordingly, in light of the plaintiffs’ “inability to 

show either misrepresentations [by the developers] or reliance on the allegedly 

negligent appraisals,” we held that the trial court properly denied their UDTP claims. 

Id. at 246-47, 762 S.E.2d at 245. 

¶ 42 Here, like the plaintiffs in Fazzari, Defendant likewise attempts to base his 

UDTP claim on a deceptive act of which he had no awareness at the time he made his 

contractual decision. Defendant testified that he did not learn of the existence of the 

7 November contract (with the forged signature) until twelve to fourteen months after 

he had initially met with the Company—long after he signed the first contract, and 
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long after the work had been completed. Thus, as in Fazzari, we conclude that 

Defendant could not have detrimentally relied on information which he did not know 

existed at the time of his decision, and that Defendant cannot satisfy the actual 

reliance element of his UDTP claim.2 The trial court accordingly did not err in 

concluding that the forged signature on the second contract did not constitute UDTP. 

2. Sale of Duplicate Warranties

¶ 43 Defendant next argues that the Company committed UDTP by selling him 

duplicate warranties for the plumbing and HVAC work—in essence, arguing that the 

Company duplicitously sold him warranties that he automatically received from the 

product manufacturer at the time of purchase. To review, as part of the 2 November 

contract, the Company sold Defendant two relevant warranties: (1) a warranty for 

the tankless water heater for “10 years parts, 5 years media, and 2 years labor,” and 

(2) a warranty for the HVAC equipment for “12 years parts & labor” and “one year 

maintenance.” However, evidence was presented at trial showing that the HVAC 

equipment which Defendant purchased already came with an included 10-year parts 

 

2 Even if we were to accept Defendant’s theory of the case—that the original 2 November 

contract was the source of the misrepresentation, in that he detrimentally relied upon the price and 

terms that the Company provided to him in this first contract—Defendant’s UDTP claim still fails. As 

we have previously explained, “[a] broken promise, standing alone, is not enough to establish a UDTP 

claim, unless the evidence shows the promisor intended to break its promise at the time that it made 

the promise.” Hills Mach. Co., LLC v. Pea Creek Mine, LLC, 265 N.C. App. 408, 421, 828 S.E.2d 709, 

718 (2019) (internal marks and citation omitted). Here, Defendant has presented no evidence showing 

that, at the time of the 2 November contract, the Company intended to break its promise to install the 

tankless water heater or intended to deviate from the originally agreed-upon price.
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warranty from the manufacturer.

¶ 44 During trial, Defendant testified that he was not informed about the existence 

of the manufacturer’s warranty at the time of the 2 November contract, and that he 

was “unaware at that time that [the Company’s] warranties ran concurrently with 

the manufacturer’s warranty.” Defendant maintained, that by including the 

manufacturer warranty as part of the purchase price, the Company had 

misrepresented what it was selling to him. The jury sided with Defendant, and 

concluded in its findings of fact that “Dan King [sold] Mr. Harrison duplicate 

warranties.”

¶ 45 We now address whether these actions amounted to UDTP. The sale of 

duplicate warranties may constitute an act which has the tendency to deceive, and 

which occurs in or affecting commerce. It is the third element of UDTP that is in true

contention here—i.e., whether or not Defendant suffered injury due to the Company’s 

misrepresentations by detrimentally relying on any duplicity in the warranties. 

¶ 46 We note that under this aspect of Defendant’s UDTP claim, the aggravating 

circumstances doctrine is not triggered. As explained above, this doctrine holds that 

a “mere breach of contract, even if intentional, is not sufficiently unfair or deceptive 

to sustain an action under N.C.G.S. § 75-1.1”—thus, when a plaintiff’s UDTP claim 

stems from a breach, the plaintiff must show aggravating circumstances in order to 

recover. Thompson, 107 N.C. App. at 62, 418 S.E.2d at 700. However, the duplicate 
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warranties claim here does not stem from a breach of contract by the Company—

rather, it is based on the idea that selling a warranty while withholding information 

regarding the existence of other applicable warranties with potentially overlapping 

coverage constitutes an UDTP. This scenario is distinct from the traditional 

aggravating circumstances and breach analysis, because it does not center around 

any contractual obligation that the Company failed to perform.

¶ 47 Under the first element of reliance, Defendant must show that he actually 

relied on the misrepresentation—that, but for the Company’s actions, he would have 

“acted or refrained from acting in a certain manner.” Williams, 218 N.C. App. at 368, 

724 S.E.2d at 549. Here, we conclude that this element is satisfied because the 

Company did not disclose or identify the fact that these products carried pre-included 

manufacturer warranties, and because Defendant testified that he would not have 

purchased the warranty from the Company had he known that the HVAC products 

already came with an included manufacturer warranty. 

¶ 48 Under the second element of reliance, Defendant must show that his reliance 

on the Company’s misrepresentation was reasonable. Bumpers, 367 N.C. at 90, 747 

S.E.2d at 227. Reliance is not reasonable when “the plaintiff could have discovered 

the truth of the matter through reasonable diligence, but failed to investigate.” Id. 

¶ 49 The Company argues that Defendant’s reliance on the warranties was not 

reasonable because he failed to perform due diligence before signing the contract. 
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The Company contends that Defendant should have researched the products that he 

was purchasing before he signed the contract, in which case he would have discovered 

that certain products had pre-included manufacturer’s warranties. Moreover, the 

Company maintains that it is common knowledge that many HVAC products carry 

manufacturer’s warranties. 

¶ 50 Defendant, in response, argues that his reliance was reasonable because this 

was a transaction between a professional HVAC company and a layperson. 

Defendant contends that it would be unfair and irrational to hold that a consumer of 

HVAC or plumbing services must independently research every single product set to 

be installed in their home in order to determine whether the business they are 

contracting with might be selling them a duplicate warranty. Defendant contends 

that the existence of manufacturer warranties tied to certain HVAC parts is far from 

common knowledge, and that in this scenario he acted perfectly reasonably in relying 

on the Company’s assurances regarding the warranties it sold.

¶ 51 In explaining the concept of “reasonable diligence,” we have previously held 

that “a plaintiff cannot simply ignore facts which should be obvious to him or would 

be readily discoverable upon reasonable inquiry.” S.B. Simmons Landscaping & 

Excavating, Inc. v. Boggs, 192 N.C. App. 155, 162, 665 S.E.2d 147, 151 (2008). On 

the other hand, we also think it true that a layperson consumer should not be held to 

the same standard of due diligence as a sophisticated commercial entity. See DC 
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Custom Freight, 273 N.C. App. at 233, 848 S.E.2d at 562 (holding that it was 

unreasonable for the plaintiff, “a sophisticated business” specializing in trucking, to 

simply assume, without investigation, that the trucks it rented from the defendant 

were covered under the defendant’s insurance policy).

¶ 52 Here, we are unable to determine based on the record whether Defendant 

would have discovered the existence of the duplicate warranties through reasonable 

diligence at the time of the original contract, and we do not have the benefit of any 

jury findings on this issue. During trial, no evidence was presented regarding 

whether the existence of HVAC manufacturer warranties is considered “common 

knowledge” (especially to a layperson); no evidence was presented regarding how it 

was that Defendant ultimately came to discover the existence of the manufacturer 

warranties; and no evidence was presented regarding whether it was a common 

practice in the HVAC industry to sell parts warranties for products that were already 

covered by a manufacturer warranty. 

¶ 53 It is relevant whether Plaintiff provided new, additional, or extended 

warranties beyond those provided by the manufacturer. For example, if the 

manufacturer’s warranties were for parts only or limited to a stated time, and 

Plaintiff extended those times, added maintenance or repair of excluded items or

provided labor, these would be separate and independent warranties beyond what 

the manufacturer provided and would not be duplicative. It is also relevant that 
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Plaintiff provided a warranty as a member of the local community resulting in

Defendant obtaining a more ready source for the resolution of any problems. “Though 

the risk to [Plaintiff’s] separate assets may have been slight, said risk is 

consideration.” Poythress v. Poythress, 2021-NCCOA-589, ¶ 16 (citing Young v. 

Johnston Cnty., 190 N.C. 52, 57, 128 S.E. 401, 403 (1925) (“The slightest 

consideration is sufficient to support the most onerous obligation; the inadequacy, as 

has been said, is for the parties to consider at the time of making the agreement, and 

not for the court when it is sought to be enforced.”)). Accordingly, we remand for 

further fact-finding on the issue of Defendant’s reasonable diligence in discovering 

the existence and coverage of the duplicate warranties.3

3. Installation Checklist

¶ 54 Finally, Defendant argues that the Company committed UDTP by filling out 

an “Installation Excellence Checklist” indicating that it had completed all work on 

the project, when in fact much of that work had yet to be completed. To review, on 3 

November 2017 an employee of the Company filled out and signed the checklist, 

which contains over three pages of specific plumbing and HVAC tasks related to the 

project. The Checklist contains the following representation: “I certify all of the items 

 

3 The Company also argues that Defendant’s UDTP claims are barred by the economic loss 

rule. As the Company cites no relevant, binding precedent to show that the economic loss rule applies 

in the context of UDTP claims, we decline to address this argument.
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that have been checked are either complete or not applicable to this work site.” It is 

undisputed that the majority of the tasks listed on the Checklist had not been 

completed by 3 November 2017. In fact, 3 November 2017 was the day that the 

Company first obtained the work permits and began work on Defendant’s home, and 

the evidence showed that it was unfeasible that a project of this scope could have been 

completed in a single day.

¶ 55 We now address whether these actions amounted to UDTP. As with the forged 

signature claim, it is clear that Defendant can easily satisfy the first two elements of 

UDTP. The creation of a construction checklist that falsely represents the status of 

the Company’s work on the project is an act which has the tendency to deceive and 

that occurs in or affecting commerce. It is part of the third element of UDTP that is 

in contention—i.e., whether or not Defendant suffered injury due to this 

misrepresentation. 

¶ 56 The Company contends that Defendant suffered no injury stemming from the 

checklist because the Company continued its work on the project for several more 

months after the checklist was created, and that the end result was a functional 

HVAC and plumbing system that passed state inspection. Defendant contends that 

he was injured because the checklist contained misrepresentations about the true 

circumstances and completeness of the project. 

¶ 57 Here, we agree with the Company that Defendant has not produced sufficient 
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evidence that he was injured by the existence of this document. We have previously 

defined legal injury as “a wrongful act which causes loss or harm to another.” Heron 

Bay Acquisition, LLC v. United Metal Finishing, Inc., 245 N.C. App. 378, 384, 781 

S.E.2d 889, 894 (2016) (citations omitted). Defendant has failed to produce any 

evidence of a harm or loss that he suffered as a result of this checklist—it caused him 

no monetary or economic injury, it did not cause any delay in the completion of the 

work, nor any lessening of the quality of the work. Moreover, it is not clear from the 

record when Defendant even discovered the existence of this checklist. As stated 

above, a person cannot detrimentally rely on a document he did not know existed. 

Accordingly, we conclude that Defendant cannot meet all elements of a UDTP claim 

and that the trial court did not err in ruling against him on this issue.

B. Denial of the Motion to Amend

¶ 58 Defendant next argues that the trial court erred by refusing to allow him to

amend his counterclaim to introduce a collection notice that was sent to him as a 

result of the Company’s debt collection practices, which he asserts amounted to 

UDTP. We disagree, and hold Defendant has failed to show the trial court abused its 

discretion in refusing to allow the amendment.

¶ 59 Following Defendant’s failure to pay the remaining balance on the plumbing 

and HVAC contracts, the Company sent his bill to an outside collections company. 

The collections company sent Defendant a collection notice on 5 June 2019. However, 
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Defendant’s amended counterclaim, which was filed on 29 March 2019, did not 

mention the collections notice as the basis of any potential claim. The Company then 

filed its motion for summary judgment on 3 September 2019. At the summary 

judgment hearing on 20 December 2019, Defendant argued (for the first time) that 

the issuance of the collection notice amounted to UDTP, and identified the collection 

notice as a potential trial exhibit.

¶ 60 During trial, Defendant attempted to introduce the collection notice. The 

Company objected to the introduction of the collection notice and any associated 

testimony, asserting that it had not received sufficient notice of this new claim. The 

trial court similarly expressed its concern that the collections issue had not been 

included in Defendant’s pleadings. Ultimately the trial court’s ruling precluded 

Defendant from introducing the collection notice or from discussing any collection 

attempts—reasoning that introducing this evidence this late into the litigation would 

amount to bringing a new claim, of which the Company did not receive proper notice. 

¶ 61 Defendant had attempted to introduce this collections evidence because he 

believed it amounted to an additional unfair and deceptive act by the Company, which 

would bolster his UDTP claim. Under our General Statutes, a debt collector can be 

held liable for attempting to collect a debt by contacting the adverse party directly, 

when the collector knows that the adverse party is represented by counsel. See N.C. 

Gen. Stat. §§ 75-55(3), 58-70-115(3) (2019). Defendant argued that the Company 
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violated this law by having the collections agency contact him directly, when they 

knew he was represented by an attorney. 

¶ 62 Regardless of the potential merit of Defendant’s claims, we conclude that the 

trial court did not err in refusing to admit the collections evidence. We review the 

trial court’s evidentiary rulings—including rulings on a motion to amend—for abuse 

of discretion. Fintchre v. Duke Univ., 241 N.C. App. 232, 239, 773 S.E.2d 318, 323 

(2015). An abuse of discretion is as a “ruling [] so arbitrary that it could not have 

been the result of a reasoned decision[.]” Ferguson v. DDP Pharmacy, Inc., 174 N.C.

App. 532, 535, 621 S.E.2d 323, 326 (2005) (internal marks and citation omitted).

¶ 63 Amendment of pleadings is governed by Rule 15 of the North Carolina Rules 

of Civil Procedure, which provides in pertinent part that “[a] party may amend his 

pleading once as a matter of course at any time before a responsive pleading is 

served.” N.C. Gen. Stat. §1A-1, Rule 15(a) (2019). However, after a party makes their 

amendment as a matter of course, further amendments are allowed “only by leave of 

court or by written consent of the adverse party.” Id. Moreover, 

[i]f evidence is objected to at trial on the ground that it is 

not within the issues raised by the pleadings, the court may 

allow the pleadings to be amended and shall do so freely 

when the presentation of the merits of the action will be 

served thereby and the objecting party fails to satisfy the 

court that the admission of such evidence would prejudice 

him in maintaining his action or defense upon the merits. 

Id., Rule 15(d). 
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¶ 64 In adjudicating a party’s motion to amend, the trial court abuses its discretion 

when it “refuses to allow an amendment” without providing any “justifying reason for 

denying the motion to amend.” Ledford v. Ledford, 49 N.C. App. 226, 233, 271 S.E.2d 

393, 398 (1980). In contrast, a trial court acts properly in denying a motion to amend 

for reasons of “(a) undue delay, (b) bad faith, (c) undue prejudice, (d) futility of 

amendment, and (e) repeated failure to cure defects by previous amendments.” 

Strickland v. Lawrence, 176 N.C. App. 656, 666-67, 627 S.E.2d 301, 308 (2006)

(internal marks and citation omitted). 

¶ 65 When a trial court denies a party’s motion to amend based on undue delay, 

“the trial court may consider the relative timing of the proposed amendment in 

relation to the progress of the lawsuit.” Id. at 667, 627 S.E.2d at 308. For example, 

in Strickland we held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying the 

plaintiffs’ motion to amend to add a new claim, because of undue delay by the 

plaintiffs. Id. We noted that the plaintiffs’ motion “was filed seven months after the 

institution of their action,” and that at that point discovery had almost entirely 

concluded. Id. Similarly, in Wilkerson v. Duke Univ., 229 N.C. App. 670, 679, 748 

S.E.2d 154, 161 (2013), we held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in 

denying the plaintiff’s motion to amend to add three additional claims, because of

both undue delay and prejudice. We noted that the defendant had received no notice 

of the three additional claims, and that the motion to amend was made “thirteen 
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months after [the plaintiff] filed the initial complaint and only five days before the 

[summary judgment] hearing” was set to begin. Id.

¶ 66 In the present case, we likewise conclude that the trial court did not abuse its 

discretion in denying Defendant’s motion to amend. During trial, the court engaged 

in extensive discussion with Defendant and the Company regarding the potential 

amendment of Defendant’s pleadings to add the new collections claim. When 

Defendant asked whether a motion to amend would be permitted, the trial court 

responded “[n]ot in the middle of trial, no.” When Defendant went on the argue that 

he could not have possibly included this claim in his original amended counterclaim 

because the collection notice was not sent until after the filing of the counterclaim, 

the court noted that it likely “would have allowed [Defendant] to amend the 

[counterclaim]” at an earlier date “since [Defendant] did not learn of [the collection 

notice] until after the discovery process,” but that the court could not imagine 

allowing the amendment “midway after we started the trial.” 

¶ 67 The trial court’s reasoning here is apt—while it is true that the collections 

notice was not sent until 5 June 2019, after Defendant’s amended counterclaim had 

already been filed, this does not change the fact that Defendant was aware of the 

existence of the collections notice all throughout the summer and fall of 2019 but 

failed to take any action to add this claim to the litigation. The first occasion that 

Defendant brought this collections issue to the trial court’s attention was at the 
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summary judgment hearing on 20 December 2019, and Defendant did not move to 

amend his pleadings to include this new claim until trial had already begun in 

February 2020. Thus, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by 

denying Defendant’s motion for leave to amend his complaint in the middle of trial.

C. Directed Verdict on Breach of Contract Claims

¶ 68 We now turn to the issues raised by the Company in its cross-appeal. The 

Company first argues that the trial court erred in failing to grant a directed verdict 

on Defendant’s breach of contract claims. We agree in part, and remand for a new 

trial on Defendant’s claim for failure to perform in a workmanlike manner under a 

construction or building contract.

¶ 69 To review, Defendant argued at trial that the Company committed a breach of 

contract in three main respects: (1) by installing different equipment than was 

originally called for (such as the water heaters); (2) by charging a higher price than 

was originally called for; and (3) by performing substandard work, such as on the repiping and insulation projects. During trial, the Company moved for a directed 

verdict at the close of all the evidence, and the trial court heard extensive arguments 

from both parties regarding whether the breach of contract claims should go to the 

jury. The trial court ultimately denied the Company’s motion, concluding that there 

was sufficient evidence presented that would allow the jury to reach their own 

conclusions on whether the contract had been breached.
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¶ 70 Following the close of all evidence during a jury trial, a party may move for a 

directed verdict in order to “test[] the sufficiency of the evidence to support a verdict 

for the non-moving party.” Williams v. CSX Transp., Inc., 176 N.C. App. 330, 344, 

626 S.E.2d 716, 728 (2006). If the trial court allows the motion for directed verdict, 

judgment is awarded in favor of the moving party and the matter will not be decided 

by the jury—however, if the trial court denies the motion, then the case moves 

forward to be decided by the jury. See N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1A-1, Rule 50(a) (2019). 

¶ 71 “In reviewing a direct verdict, this Court must determine whether the 

evidence taken in the light most favorable to the non-moving party is sufficient as a 

matter of law to be submitted to the jury.” Delta Env’t Consultants of N. Carolina, 

Inc. v. Wysong & Miles Co., 132 N.C. App. 160, 168, 510 S.E.2d 690, 695 (1999). On 

appeal, we conduct a de novo review of a trial court’s denial of a motion for directed 

verdict. Denson v. Richmond Cnty., 159 N.C. App. 408, 411, 583 S.E.2d 318, 320 

(2003).

¶ 72 We first address the Company’s claim that the trial court should have issued 

a directed verdict as to Defendant’s claim that the Company performed substandard 

work on the re-piping and insulation projects. The Company’s primary argument 

here is that, as a matter of law, Defendant’s evidence could not have been sufficient 

to survive a motion for directed verdict because he did not present any expert 

testimony showing that the Company’s work was substandard. During trial, the only 
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evidence presented by Defendant tending to show substandard work by the Company 

was Defendant’s own testimony about the quality of the work and photos that 

Defendant had taken of the work. 

¶ 73 “To state a claim for breach of contract, the complaint must allege that a valid 

contract existed between the parties, that defendant breached the terms thereof, the 

facts constituting the breach, and that damages resulted from such breach.” Jackson 

v. Associated Scaffolders & Equip. Co., 152 N.C. App. 687, 692, 568 S.E.2d 666, 669 

(2002). In actions for breach of building or construction contracts, a plaintiff may 

bring a claim for “failure to construct in a workmanlike manner.” Cantrell v. Woodhill 

Enters., Inc., 273 N.C. 490, 497, 160 S.E.2d 476, 481 (1968). Under such a claim, 

“[t]he law recognizes an implied warranty that the contractor or builder will use the 

customary standard of skill and care” based upon the particular industry, location, 

and timeframe in which the construction occurs. Kenney v. Medlin Const. & Realty 

Co., 68 N.C. App. 339, 343, 315 S.E.2d 311, 314 (1984). When pleading this claim,

“plaintiff’s pleading should allege wherein the workmanship was faulty or the 

material furnished by defendant was not such as the contract required.” Cantrell, 

273 N.C. at 497, 160 S.E.2d at 481 (internal marks and citation omitted). 

¶ 74 The Company contends that, in order to bring a proper claim for failure to 

construct in a workmanlike manner, the plaintiff must put on expert testimony to 

establish the relevant standard of care. Defendant contends that no such 
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requirement exists, as the quality of the work is an issue that can be properly 

determined by the jury without the aid of an expert. On balance, we agree with the 

Company that at least some expert evidence must be presented to sustain a claim 

such as this. 

¶ 75 We find two cases to be most instructive on this issue. First, in Kenney v. 

Medlin Const. & Realty Co., 68 N.C. App. 339, 341, 315 S.E.2d 311, 313 (1984), we 

addressed a breach of contract action in which the plaintiff homeowner sued the 

defendant builder for failure to construct in a workmanlike manner when building 

the plaintiff’s new home. Plaintiff retained two experts to testify regarding the 

structural problems with the home, and both testified that “the construction of 

plaintiff’s house did not meet the standard of workmanlike quality prevailing in 

Cabarrus County in December, 1978.” Id. at 340, 315 S.E.2d at 312. On appeal, the 

defendant argued that the testimony of the two witnesses was inadmissible because 

they were not sufficiently qualified, but we disagreed. Id. at 342, 315 S.E.2d at 313. 

¶ 76 We noted that “opinion testimony of an expert witness is admissible if there is 

evidence that the witness is better qualified than the jury to form such an opinion.” 

Id. Given that one of the witnesses had “built most of the houses in plaintiff’s 

subdivision,” and that the other “had been involved in building more than 200 

residences,” we held that both witnesses qualified as experts who were “better 

qualified than the jury to form an opinion as to the quality of the workmanship” on 
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the home. Id. at 342-43, 315 S.E.2d at 313-14. Moreover, in evaluating whether the 

trial court properly denied the defendant’s motion for directed verdict, we held that 

there was “plenary evidence supporting plaintiff’s claim of breach”—given that “two 

expert witnesses testified to the various structural defects rendering the quality of 

construction of plaintiff’s house below the standard prevailing in the area.” Id. at 

343, 315 S.E.2d at 314. 

¶ 77 Second, in Delta Env’t Consultants of N. Carolina, Inc. v. Wysong & Miles Co., 

132 N.C. App. 160, 163, 510 S.E.2d 690, 692 (1999), the defendant (a factory owner) 

hired the plaintiff (an environmental consultant) to help the factory deal with 

pollution and soil contamination. The plaintiff sued the defendant for unpaid bills, 

and the defendant counter-claimed that the plaintiff had breached the contract by 

“fail[ing] to perform its remedial work to the level of skill ordinarily exercised by 

members of its profession.” Id. During trial, the defendant apparently put on no 

expert testimony to prove its workmanship claim, and as a result the trial court 

granted a directed verdict in favor of plaintiff, ruling that defendant’s “failure to offer 

expert testimony made its evidence insufficient to prove the standard of care owed by 

[plaintiff] as a matter of law.” Id. at 168, 510 S.E.2d at 695. 

¶ 78 On appeal, the defendant challenged this ruling by the trial court, arguing that 

under the “common knowledge” exception, it need not introduce expert testimony to 

prove its workmanship claim. Id. This exception holds that “where the common 
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knowledge and experience of the jury is sufficient to evaluate compliance with a 

standard of care, expert testimony is not needed.” Id. However, we disagreed with 

the defendant, concluding that a case such as this fell far outside the bounds of the 

common knowledge exception. Id. We explained that this exception was reserved for 

cases where the complained-of professional conduct “is so grossly negligent that a 

layperson’s knowledge and experience make obvious the shortcomings of the 

professional”—such as a medical malpractice case in which “an open wound was not 

cleansed or sterilized” before being placed in a cast. Id. at 168, 510 S.E.2d at 696 

(citing Little v. Matthewson, 114 N.C. App. 562, 442 S.E.2d 567 (1994)). 

¶ 79 In contrast, we held that a case involving the workmanship “utilized by 

professional engineers for environmental cleanup” was not the type of common-sense 

issue that could be determined by a jury alone. Id. Thus, given the lack of “required 

expert testimony to explain and prove the standard of care,” we held that the trial 

court did not err in granting the motion for directed verdict. Id. 

¶ 80 The core of a workmanship claim is a claim that a professional failed to utilize 

“the customary standard of skill and care” in completing a project, based upon the 

particular industry, location, and timeframe in which the project occurred. See

Kenney, 68 N.C. App. at 343, 315 S.E.2d at 314. And in most cases, the average juror 

would not have the requisite knowledge and experience to evaluate the prevailing 

professional standards in a particular industry and area. 
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¶ 81 As recognized by the “common knowledge” exception, there are certainly some 

types of workmanship claims that can routinely be determined by a jury without the 

aid of an expert. See Delta, 132 N.C. App. at 168, 510 S.E.2d at 696. These are 

matters where the workmanship is so grossly subpar that it is obvious to any 

layperson that the work does not live up to a professional standard of care—such as 

a surgeon “[leaving] a sponge in a patient’s body during surgery,” or a lawyer “who is 

ignorant of the applicable statute of limitations or who sits idly by and causes the 

client to lose the value of his claim.” Little, 114 N.C. App. at 569, 442 S.E.2d at 571. 

¶ 82 This case is not like those cases. This case involved $16,324 worth of extensive 

plumbing work done throughout an entire home, encompassing removing and 

replacing all polybutylene piping with PEX piping “within reason.” An employee of 

the Company testified that “the scope of the work was massive.” Moreover, the 

contract expressly stated that the Company was under no obligation to repair or 

replace the drywall that would inevitably be cut open during the re-piping.

¶ 83 It is undisputed that Defendant did not offer any expert testimony to 

demonstrate that the plumbing work was not performed in a workmanlike manner. 

Instead, Defendant offered his own lay-testimony of why he believed the plumbing 

work was inadequate, and he introduced 12 photographs showing the allegedly 

inadequate piping and insulation work. We have examined these photographs, and 

we see no evidence that would indicate to a layperson that the plumbing work was 
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obviously or grossly defective. Accordingly, as in Delta, we conclude that the common 

knowledge exception does not apply, and that expert testimony was required as a 

matter of law in order to prove Defendant’s workmanship claim against the Company. 

Because Defendant presented no expert testimony, we hold that the trial court erred 

in failing to grant the Company’s motion for directed verdict. We reverse and remand 

for a new trial on this claim. 

¶ 84 As for Defendant’s remaining breach of contract claims—failure to provide the 

correct water heater called for in the contract, and charging a higher price than called 

for—we conclude sufficient evidence was presented to allow these claims to proceed 

to the jury. These claims were based in a standard breach of contract cause of action 

(as opposed to a workmanship claim) and thus did not require the presentation of 

expert testimony. Defendant presented competent testimonial evidence tending to 

show that a 40-gallon tank was installed instead of a 50-gallon tank, and that the 

price of the 7 November contract was higher than the price of the 2 November 

contract. While the Company presented contrary evidence, the evidence presented 

by Defendant on these claims was sufficient to allow those claims to proceed to the 

jury. We accordingly hold that the trial court did not err in refusing to grant a 

directed verdict on Defendant’s remaining breach of contract claims. 

D. Attorneys’ Fees

¶ 85 The Company next argues that the trial court erred in failing to allow the 
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parties to be heard regarding the award of attorneys’ fees, and Defendant agrees. 

However, because neither party obtained a ruling on the request for attorneys’ fees, 

this issue has not been preserved for our review.

¶ 86 Our General Statutes provide as follows regarding the award of attorneys’ fees 

in a UDTP action:

In any suit instituted by a person who alleges that the 

defendant violated G.S. 75-1.1, the presiding judge may, in 

his discretion, allow a reasonable attorney fee to the duly 

licensed attorney representing the prevailing party, such 

attorney fee to be taxed as part of the court costs and 

payable by the losing party, upon a finding by the presiding 

judge that:

(1) The party charged with the violation has willfully 

engaged in the act or practice, and there was an 

unwarranted refusal by such party to fully resolve the 

matter which constitutes the basis of such suit; or

(2) The party instituting the action knew, or should have 

known, the action was frivolous and malicious.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 75-16.1 (2019).

¶ 87 However, under Rule 10 of the North Carolina Rules of Appellate Procedure, 

“to preserve an issue for appellate review, a party must have presented to the trial 

court a timely request, objection, or motion, stating the specific grounds for the ruling 

the party desired the court to make if the specific grounds were not apparent from 

the context.” N.C. R. App. P. 10(a)(1). In addition, Rule 10 requires that “the 

complaining party [] obtain a ruling upon the party’s request, objection, or motion.” 
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Id.

¶ 88 Here, though both Defendant and the Company had previously indicated on 

multiple occasions that they wished to be heard on attorneys’ fees, the trial court 

never held a hearing on attorneys’ fees, and never ruled on Defendant’s request for 

attorneys’ fees. This issue therefore has not been preserved for appellate review.

E. Closing Arguments

¶ 89 Finally, the Company argues that the trial court erred when it implicitly 

disallowed the Company to make the final closing argument to the jury. We disagree, 

and hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in its ordering of the closing 

arguments in this case. 

¶ 90 The basis of the Company’s argument is that the unique procedure posture of 

this case—in which the Company acted as both plaintiff and defendant—resulted in 

the Company not being able to make its final argument to the jury regarding its 

defense to Defendant’s counterclaims. The Company contends this resulted in unfair 

prejudice, as it left the jury with the false impression that the Company had no 

defense to Defendant’s UDTP and breach of contract claims. 

¶ 91 The Company’s argument is based in Rule 10 of the General Rules of Practice 

for the Superior and District Courts. See N.C. Super. and Dist. Ct. R. 10 (2020). Rule 

10 provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

In all cases, civil and criminal, if no evidence is introduced 
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by the defendant, the right to open and close the argument 

to the jury shall belong to him. If a question arises as to 

whether the plaintiff or the defendant has the final 

argument to the jury, the court shall decide who is so 

entitled, and its decision shall be final.

N.C. Super. and Dist. Ct. R. 10 (2020). 

¶ 92 This Rule means that, generally, after the plaintiff introduces their evidence, 

and the defendant chooses to introduce no rebuttal evidence, then the defendant is 

entitled to be the final party to make arguments to the jury. Here, trial arguments 

proceeded in the following order: (1) the Company presented evidence on its breach 

of contract claims; (2) Defendant presented evidence on his breach of contract and 

UDTP counterclaims; (3) the Company made closing arguments on its breach of 

contract claims; and (4) Defendant made closing arguments on his breach of contract 

and UDTP counterclaims. 

¶ 93 At the end of the Company’s initial closing, counsel for the Company indicated 

that he intended to “come back up and talk to” the jury one more time in order to put 

forth the Company’s rebuttal to Defendant’s counterclaims. Defendant’s counsel 

objected, asserting that the Company did not have the right to make a rebuttal

argument, and that “anything he has [for closing], he says now.” The following 

exchange then occurred:

[The Court]: Was that your closing, sir?

[Counsel for the Company]: If I don’t get a rebuttal, I 
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2022-NCCOA-27

Opinion of the Court

don’t get a rebuttal. That’s fine, Judge. 

[The Court]: All right. 

[Counsel for the Company]: I was under the 

presumption of a rebuttal, but okay.

¶ 94 Counsel for Defendant then proceeded to make his closing, and no further 

discussion occurred regarding the Company’s desire for a rebuttal. 

¶ 95 This exchange demonstrates the Company did not adequately object to this 

issue to preserve it for appellate review, and arguably waived any challenge. To 

recapitulate, under Rule 10, to preserve an issue for appellate review, “a party must 

have presented to the trial court a timely request, objection, or motion, stating the 

specific grounds for the ruling the party desired the court to make.” N.C. R. App. P. 

10(a)(1). If a party fails to object to a certain ruling or action by the trial court, then 

the matter is deemed waived. See State v. Holliman, 155 N.C. App. 120, 123, 573 

S.E.2d 682, 685 (2002). 

¶ 96 Here, it would strain credulity to conclude that the Company’s statements 

regarding the rebuttal argument amounted to an objection. When Defendant stated 

that the Company was not entitled to a rebuttal, the Company could have easily 

objected and asserted that it was, indeed, entitled to a rebuttal under Rule 10 of the 

General Rules of Practice. However, the Company did not make such an objection—

instead, counsel stated “If I don’t get a rebuttal, I don’t get a rebuttal. That’s fine, 

Judge.” We hold that this did not qualify as an objection within the meaning of Rule 
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Opinion of the Court

10 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure, especially given that counsel did not “stat[e] 

the specific grounds for the ruling the party desired the court to make.” N.C. R. App. 

P. 10(a)(1).

III. Conclusion

¶ 97 In sum, we hold as follows:

(1) UDTP Claims: The trial court correctly concluded that Defendant’s 

UDTP claims must fail as to the superimposition of the signature (given 

that Defendant cannot show actual reliance on the 7 November 

contract), and as to the installation checklist (given that Defendant 

cannot show any injury associated with the checklist). However, the

trial court erred in concluding that Defendant’s UDTP claim must fail 

as to the duplicate warranties, and we remand for further fact-finding 

as to the reasonableness of Defendant’s reliance on the contractual 

warranties. 

(2) Amendment of the Counterclaim: The trial court did not abuse its 

discretion in refusing to allow Defendant to amend his counterclaim 

during trial to add a new collections claim, because Defendant acted 

with undue delay. 

(3) Directed Verdict: The trial court erred as a matter of law in failing to 

grant the Company’s motion for directed verdict as to Defendant’s 
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Opinion of the Court

workmanship claim, as Defendant failed to present any supporting

expert testimony as required under our precedent. As for Defendant’s 

remaining breach of contract claims, the trial court correctly refused to 

grant a directed verdict as sufficient supporting evidence had been 

presented. 

(4) Attorneys’ Fees: This issue has not been preserved for our review.

(5) Closing Arguments: Defendant has not preserved this argument for 

appellate review, and in any event the trial court did not abuse its 

discretion in the ordering of closing arguments. 

AFFIRMED IN PART, REMANDED IN PART.

Judge TYSON concurs.

Judge MURPHY concurs in Parts I, II-A, II-B, II-D, II-E, and III; and concurs 

in result only in Part II-C.