Dunnellon (Fla.) four-star defensive lineman Kaiden Robinson-Vickers has committed to North Carolina, he told Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett.

He chose the Tar Heels over offers from UCF, NC State, Florida and a number of other Power 4 schools. Dunnellon told Rivals’ Inside Carolina that he made his commitment on Saturday night to the Tar Heels’ staff before going public on Sunday.

The 6-foot-1, 255-pounder is the 12th commitment this cycle for Bill Belichick and Co, whose class now sits just inside the top-50 nationally on the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

As a junior, Robinson-Vickers finished with 55 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. He also totaled five forced fumbles.

The Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services, tabs him as the No. 401 overall prospect and No. 43 defensive lineman in the class.

Universal Life Insurance Company (“ULICO”) held a North Carolina judgment in excess of $524 million against Lindberg, resulting from the latter’s breach of a guarantee in 2020. Lindberg held 100% of the shares in a Delaware corporation called Global Growth Holdings, Inc., which in 2023 he converted into a Delaware limited liability company now called Global Growth Holdings, LLC (“Global”). Lindberg was apparently the sole member of Global.

In 2024, ULICO filed a motion in the Durham County Superior Court in North Carolina for the imposition of a charging order against Linberg’s interest in Global. Attempting to fend off the charging order, Lindberg argued that the North Carolina court did not have jurisdiction to enter a charging order against a Delaware LLC. The Superior Court disagreed, and entered a charging order in favor of ULICO against Lindberg’s interest in Global. This set up the appellate opinion that we will next examine in Universal Life Ins. Co. v. Lindberg, 2026 WL 1407705 (2026), which you can read for yourself here.

The first question the North Carolina Court of Appeals took up was whether the charging order was even appealable at this stage. To be appealable, the charging order had to be considered a final order. An order is final if there is nothing left to be done by the trial court. In a previous opinion in this same case, the Court of Appeals ruled that the charging order was not final, something known as an interlocutory order, because at that time the charging order was subject to possible modification by the trial court. Here, in contrast, there was nothing further for the trial court to do in regard to the charging order, and thus it was to be considered a final order.

The next issue was whether the charging order provision of the North Carolina LLC Act should apply to a Delaware LLC. Lindberg argued that it should not. The contention was that the section of the North Carolina LLC which related to charging order only applied to companies that were formed under North Carolina law. Instead, Lindberg’s North Carolina LLC was a foreign LLC under that LLC Act and thus was not subject to the charging order provision at all.

As an aside, this argument is known as the Heather Apartments argument after the unpublished opinion of the Minnesota Court of Appeals where the issue first arose. A number of courts have struggled with this issue, with seemingly most deciding that the charging order provisions of most states’ LLC Acts do indeed apply to out-of-state LLCs, such as in the Vision Marketing decision.

The Court of Appeals had not such difficulties and disagreed with Lindberg’s argument. Under the LLC Act, a North Carolina court could impose a charging order against a debtor’s interest in an LLC whether it was formed in North Carolina or elsewhere.

The remaining issue was whether a North Carolina court had personal jurisdiction over Lindberg’s out-of-state assets. In other words, Lindberg argued that because Global was a Delaware LLC, the North Carolina court was without jurisdiction to impose a charging order against Lindberg’s interest in that entity.

The Court of Appeals rejected this argument. Lindberg had made a general appearance in the North Carolina Superior Court and thus was subject to its jurisdiction. Because a charging order only places a lien on the debtor’s interest ― but not on the LLC itself ― it doesn’t matter where the LLC is located so long as the debtor was within the personal jurisdiction of North Carolina. Thus, so long as the debtor was before the Superior Court, the Superior Court had jurisdiction to issue the charging order without having to relying upon in rem jurisdiction (i.e., jurisdiction based on property being located within the jurisdiction. Thus, the Court of Appeals stated:

“In our view, so long as personal jurisdiction exists over the interest owner, a trial court may issue a charging order.”

Since Lindberg was within the personal jurisdiction of the North Carolina courts, that by itself was sufficient for the charging order to be issued against his interest in Global, even if Global was domiciled in Delaware. Thus, the charging order of the Superior Court was affirmed.

ANALYSIS

An interest in a limited liability company is typically defined by statute as personal property. Unlike physical assets ― say, a car or coin collection ― an LLC interest is an intangible, and thus is known as intangible personal property. Typically, intangible personal property is considered to exist in the jurisdiction of the debtor’s residence. Presumably, without knowing, Limberg lived in North Carolina since ULICO sued him there, and thus Limberg’s interest in Global existed in North Carolina. There is also an argument to be made that intangible personal property follows the debtor around wherever he goes, but that is beyond the scope of this article. The important thing is that the jurisdiction of formation of the LLC plays no role in this analysis.

Where it might matter is forcing the LLC to comply. A North Carolina court may enter a charging order which is places a lien upon the debtor’s interest in an out-of-state LLC, and certainly the debtor is bound by the order. However, whether the out-of-state LLC is bound by that order is a different thing entirely. Assume, for instance, that Global had no assets in North Carolina or any connections to that state; in such circumstances, the North Carolina order will have no effect on Global itself until at least ULICO registers the order in Delaware under the Full Faith & Credit clause of the U.S. Constitution. Global could, in theory, continue to make distributions to Limberg in violation of the North Carolina charging order …. for a while.

This is why creditors who discover that the debtor has an interest in an LLC with valuable assets will usually register the judgment in the state where the LLC is formed. Then, when the charging order is issued, the charging order will also be filed in the state of the LLC’s formation. The state of the LLC’s formation has no choice but to register the charging order and then the LLC itself will be bound by it.

But note that even if the charging order is not registered in the state of the LLC’s formation, the charging order is still binding upon the debtor. Thus, if Global were to ignore the charging order and make a distribution to Limberg, he would be required to turn over the distribution to ULICO or else face contempt of court for violating the charging order.

The upshot of all this is that forming an LLC out-of-state doesn’t create any advantages in relation to a charging order. The laws of the LLC’s state of formation as they relate to the charging order are irrelevant. Thus, you may hear that an LLC should be formed in Delaware as here, or Wyoming, or even my adoptive state of Nevada, because those states “have better charging order protection.” That’s nice, but also irrelevant if the debtor is not resident in one of those states (and maybe not even then). It is simply a baseless myth that a debtor can somehow import “better” charging order law to protect his interest by forming the LLC in one of these debtor-friendly states.

Thus, my typical response to the question, “Where is the best state to file an LLC for charging order protection?”, is usually, “The state you are in, or where you will be actually conducting business.” That’s the charging order law that will almost always apply anyway.

The old-timey general stores in North Carolina have outlasted highways and big-box retailers across a century of change. They remain gathering places at the heart of their communities, where shelves of necessities and curiosities sit alongside front porches that still invite passers-by to slow down.

Walking into Mast General Store in Valle Crucis means stepping onto creaking wood floors where coffee still costs a nickel on the honor system. Shiloh General Store in Hamptonville serves made-to-order sandwiches and homemade whoopie pies with a view of horse-drawn buggies passing on the road outside. E.H. Montgomery General Store in Gold Hill puts bluegrass musicians on the porch of an 1840s-era mercantile that once supplied a gold-mining boom town. Whether found in the Blue Ridge Mountains or the Outer Banks, these general stores anchor their towns and reward anyone willing to pull over and stay awhile.

Mast General Store

The Mast General Store in Valle Crucis has been a major part of this Blue Ridge mountain community since 1883, when Henry Taylor founded it as the Taylor General Store. W.W. Mast bought a half share in 1897, took full ownership in 1913, and ran the store for 60 years under a slogan that needed no marketing department: “If you can’t buy it here, you don’t need it.” The inventory backed up the claim, covering everything from cradles to caskets. A working post office still operates inside the store, a direct line to the days when the mercantile served as the community’s information hub and mail stop. The store earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, closed briefly in 1977, and then reopened in 1980 under John and Faye Cooper. Today, Mast General Store is employee-owned with multiple locations across the region, but the original Valle Crucis storefront remains the flagship.

What draws visitors now is the sheer breadth of the place. Over 500 kinds of old-fashioned candy line the shelves alongside outdoor gear, local crafts, books, regional honey, and that famous nickel cup of coffee, still offered on the honor system. The wooden floors creak underfoot, and the porch invites lingering with a view of the surrounding mountains that has not changed much since the 19th century.

Washburn’s General Store

In Rutherford County, Washburn’s General Store holds the title of North Carolina’s oldest continuously operating family-owned retail business. It was established in 1831 by Benjamin Washburn as a tavern and mercantile on the Lincoln-Rutherford stagecoach line. Now in its fifth generation of Washburn family ownership, the store has survived fires, economic upheaval, and the total transformation of American retail without losing its identity. The Washburn family also founded the Bostic Bank in 1917, a local institution that survived the Great Depression while other banks failed, cementing the family’s role in the region’s economic life. The current building, the fourth to house the business, dates from the late 1920s, and the 63-acre Washburn Historic District, including the store and the family mansion, joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

The shelves today hold hardware, gardening supplies, seeds, clothing, cookware, toys, kerosene lamps, and washboards; a mix that has not fundamentally changed in generations. A logbook sits near the counter, signed by visitors around the world, and the sandwiches have developed their own local reputation worth the stop.

E.H. Montgomery General Store

Gold Hill was a booming 19th-century gold-mining town, and the E.H. Montgomery General Store, built in the 1840s, sits on Main Street as the most authentic surviving relic of that era. The 850-foot-deep Randolph Mine and the 453-foot-deep Barnhardt Mine once drove the local economy, and the store supplied miners and their families with goods and a place to gather. Today, the entire street functions as the Historic Gold Hill shopping and dining district, with the Montgomery Store operating as a living museum and mercantile rolled into one.

Vintage items and classic candies fill the shelves, cold glass-bottle Cokes sweat in the cooler, and local honey and apple butter round out the edible offerings. Bluegrass musicians play on the porch, and the store keeps limited hours, Friday through Sunday, which only adds to the sense that stepping inside means stepping into a preserved pocket of the 19th century.

Shiloh General Store

In Yadkin County, the Shiloh General Store reflects the Amish community that settled the area in the 1980s, bringing with them traditions that now feel entirely native to the landscape. Hamptonville first took shape in the late 1700s and officially became a town in 1818, but the stretch around Brooks Crossroads, where the store sits, now hums with a rhythm set by horse-drawn buggies and agricultural seasons. The region falls within the Yadkin Valley wine region, but the store itself keeps the focus on the handmade and the homegrown.

Inside, the deli counter turns out made-to-order sandwiches, and the bakery case holds homemade whoopie pies that justify the trip on their own. Shelves carry spices, jams, jellies, local cheeses, Amish-baked bread, handmade toys, and even furniture. Outside, the expansive front porch provides the seating, and the view includes the regular passage of buggies on the road, a detail that places Hamptonville in a slower century without feeling like a performance.

Saxapahaw General Store

The Saxapahaw General Store opened in 2008, a relative newcomer by this list’s standards, but its arrival marked a turning point for a former mill town that had been in decline since the Dixie Mill closed two decades earlier. The store occupies part of the restored Saxapahaw Rivermill complex along the Haw River, and its success helped fuel a rural renaissance that earned national attention from leading national publications. The old “Saxaco” gas pump still stands outside, a visual anchor tying the new operation to the town’s industrial past.

The concept inside departs from the traditional general store model without completely abandoning the spirit. The kitchen produces locally sourced breakfast, lunch, and dinner, pulling ingredients from over 135 North Carolina farms and businesses. Craft beer and wine sit alongside organic groceries, and the result is a gourmet restaurant and convenience store hybrid that serves as both a community hub and a destination in its own right.

Madison Dry Goods

The building at Madison Dry Goods started its life around 1908 as the Hotel Sterling and Penn Hardware Company, later housed the T.B. Knight Funeral Home, and in 1929 became the site where the embalmers prepared the victims of the Charlie Lawson family murders, a Christmas Day tragedy that remains one of North Carolina’s most haunting crimes. The second floor now holds a museum dedicated to that history, a draw for true-crime visitors since well before Netflix featured the location on 28 Days Haunted.

The mercantile operates downstairs in a more conventional mode, though the atmosphere carries the weight of the building’s past. Quality-branded apparel and outdoor clothing share shelf space with old-timey candies, jellies, jams, local honey, pickles, ground cornmeal, and glass-bottle sodas pulled from an antique Coke box. Checkers games and rocking chairs require lingering, and the Briggs Family Kitchen hot bar and bakery runs from Wednesday through Saturday for those who want a meal with their history. Madison Dry Goods has drawn visitors to this Piedmont town since 1995, and the combination of mercantile and museum gives it a character that no new construction could replicate.

Lee Robinson General Store

The Lee Robinson General Store opened on Hatteras Island in 1948, serving generations of Outer Banks visitors and locals from its spot along the narrow barrier island. A replica building, constructed in the 1990s, preserved the old-time look after the original structure aged beyond repair. The location, a short hop from the ferry to Ocracoke Island, places the store directly in the path of beachgoers, anglers, and weekenders working their way down the coast.

The inventory spans the practical and the impulse-buy in equal measure: groceries, gourmet items, fine wines, fudge, glass-bottled Cokes, books, magazines, hats, sweatshirts, boogie boards, jewelry, beach supplies, and sunscreen. Bike rentals are available from the store, and an upstairs gift gallery adds a layer of browsing. The combination of necessities and vacation curiosities mirrors the rhythm of the Outer Banks itself, where the line between daily life and getaway blurs.

The Old Store at Grassy Creek

Opened in the early 1900s, the Old Store at Grassy Creek in Ashe County functioned as a post office, a doctor’s office, and a community hub before the term “community hub” existed. Grassy Creek earned the distinction of being the first rural district in the United States included on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation it received in 1976. The store retains much of its original decor, and the walls tell the story of the community through words and photographs, functioning as an informal archive of Appalachian life.

Local foods, crafts, gifts, and Appalachian-made products fill the shelves, with Grassy Creek and Virginia-Carolina High School merchandise nodding to local loyalties. Seasonal operations extend the store’s reach: self-pick blueberries run from June through August, and pre-cut Christmas trees sell from November through December alongside a Christmas tree education center. A large deck with rocking chairs, live music, and community events keeps the store active as a gathering place beyond the retail hours.

Patterson’s Mill Country Store

Patterson’s Mill Country Store in Durham County takes its name from a general store that operated at Patterson’s Mill in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but the current building carries its own story. Walter Curtis Hudson, a grandson of Richard Stanford Leigh, began constructing the structure around 1918 using salvaged materials pulled from demolished historic buildings across the area. Hudson raised produce, ran a dairy farm, and worked at Liggett and Myers Tobacco company while building what would become one of the most unusual country store buildings in the region: a Craftsman-style structure with broad arches and a wrap-around porch.

Today, the building operates as an antique mall and museum experience, with the owners’ extensive collections displayed throughout to replicate the look and feel of the old mill-country store that inspired the name. Genuine artifacts fill the rooms, and the unusual architecture rewards a closer look even before stepping inside.

North Carolina’s Porch-Standard Time

These nine old-timey general stores operate on a different clock than the rest of the state, and that is the entire appeal. Whether you’re going for the nickel coffee at Mast General Store or to sign the logbook of five generations at Washburn’s in Bostic, you will slow down to their time. Each of the mercantiles rewards the traveler who understands that the best stops are not the fastest ones. Spring and fall bring the best porch weather, and the rocking chairs are already there waiting.