Practice Areas
- Alternate Dispute Resolution
- Construction
- Employment & Labor
- Financial Services & Insolvency Litigation
- Litigation
Education
- Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, 1961
- A.B., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1965
- J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1968; Board of Editors, North Carolina Law Review
Bar & Court Admissions
- North Carolina, 1968
- All U.S. District Courts in North Carolina
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
George V. Hanna III
A veteran litigator, arbitrator and mediator, George Hanna possesses extensive experience in wide-ranging business and construction disputes.
He has handled litigation and arbitrations in such areas as banking and lender liability, unfair trade practices, product liability, intellectual property, bankruptcies and workouts, employment law and environmental law.
He also serves as a trial court mediator certified by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission and is a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association.
Prior to joining Moore & Van Allen, he clerked for Chief Justice Joseph Branch of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Representative Cases:
- Gilbane Building Co. v. Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, 80 F3d 895. Represented the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond in disputes arising from the construction of its new building in Charlotte. Numerous cases were consolidated and successfully defended before a Special Master appointed by the U.S. District Court. The District Court adopted the Special Master’s findings that favored the Federal Reserve except for one issue. Mr. Hanna then successfully appealed to the Circuit which affirmed the District Court’s rulings that were favorable to the Federal Reserve and reversed the District Court’s ruling that was unfavorable to Bank.
- Associated Mechanical Contractors v. HDR Engineering Inc., 1999 US Lexis 8262. Represented the engineer on a water treatment plant project. The majority of the plaintiff’s claims were dismissed by the U.S. District Court on summary judgment. The remaining claim was tried to verdict before a jury with a finding of no liability for the engineer. The summary judgment and the jury verdict were affirmed by the Circuit.
- Patterson v. Shumate, 912 F2d 463 and related cases. Mr. Hanna defended the predecessor to Bank of America in a series of lender liability cases arising out of the bankruptcies of Coleman Furniture Company and its principal shareholder. Successful results were obtained in the Western District of Virginia before the Bankruptcy Court and before the U.S. District Court through summary judgment and a jury verdict.
- Central Truck Leasing, et al v. BBT. Obtained a jury verdict of no liability for a bank on lender liability and unfair trade practice claims following a two-week trial in a NC Superior Court.
- BBT v. GAV et al. Obtained a favorable jury verdict for a bank in U.S. District Court in a case involving the termination of a complex insurance relationship.
- Simmons et al v. BBT. Obtained a favorable settlement of a class action based on unfair trade practice claims involving collateral protective insurance policies after a majority of the issues were dismissed on summary judgment by a NC Superior Court.
- Lyons Partnership v. Morris Costumes, Inc., et al. Successfully defended costume business against trademark-copyright action brought by owners of children’s television character, Barney.
Of Note
- Featured by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in North Carolina in the field of general commercial litigation (2004-2007)
- Selected by his peers for inclusion Woodward/White, Inc.'s The Best Lawyers in America in the field of commercial litigation (2007)
- Included in Law & Politics' North Carolina Super Lawyers in the field of business litigation, alternative dispute resolution and construction litigation (2006, 2008)
- AV peer review rated in Martindale-Hubbell legal directory for over 30 years including 2008
- Listed in Marquis’ Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in America and Who's Who in the World
- Member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association
- Certified Trial Court Mediator by the NC Dispute Resolution Commission
- Law Clerk to Hon. Joseph Branch, Chief Justice, North Carolina Supreme Court, 1968-1969
- Past President of the Mecklenburg County Bar
- Past President of the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation
- Former Board Chair of Legal Services of Southern Piedmont
- Former Board Chair of the Children’s Law Center (now Council for Children's Rights)
- Member of the Board of Directors of the UNC Law Alumni Association
- Member of the North Carolina Chief Justice's Commission on Equal Access to Justice
- Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
- Chair of Moore & Van Allen's Public Service Committee
News
Professional Affiliations
- Law Clerk to Hon. Joseph Branch, Chief Justice, North Carolina Supreme Court, 1968-1969
- American Arbitration Association: Member of the Panel of Arbitrators
- NC Dispute Resolution Commission Certified Trial Court Mediator
- Mecklenburg County Bar: past President
- Mecklenburg Bar Foundation, past President
- North Carolina Bar Association: former member of the Board of Governors
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow