Financial Interest in Litigation
(a) All parties to a civil or bankruptcy case, whether or not they are covered by
the terms of Fed. R. Civ. P. 7.1, shall file a corporate affiliate/financial
interest disclosure statement. This rule does not apply to the United States
or to state and local governments in cases in which the opposing party is
proceeding as an unrepresented person.
(b) The statement shall set forth the information required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 7.1
and the following:
(1) A trade association shall identify in the disclosure statement all
members of the association, their parent corporations, and any
publicly held companies that own ten percent or more of a member’s
stock;
(2) All parties shall identify any publicly held corporation, whether or
not a party to the present litigation, that has a direct financial interest
in the outcome of this litigation by reason of a franchise, lease, other
profit-sharing agreement, insurance, or indemnity agreement;
(3) Whenever required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 7.1 or this rule to disclose
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Local Civil Rules – U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina Page 29
information about a corporation that has issued shares to the public,
a party shall also disclose information about similarly situated master
limited partnerships, real estate investment trusts, or other legal
entities whose shares are publicly held or traded.
(c) The disclosure statement shall be on a form provided by the clerk. A
negative statement is required if a party has no disclosures to make.
(d) The disclosure statement shall be filed when the party makes an initial
appearance in the action. The parties are required to amend their disclosure
statements when necessary to maintain their current accuracy.