GREENSBORO — A settlement has been reported in federal litigation against Tyler Technologies over North Carolina’s eCourts system, a statewide court-technology project tied to an initial 10-year contract worth up to $100 million.
An entry in the U.S. District Court docket says the case has been reported settled as to Tyler. A final agreement is due Oct. 16 and must be approved by a judge. The terms have not been disclosed, and the claims against Tyler remain pending until the agreement is finalized.
The lawsuit was filed in May 2023 as a proposed class action. The plaintiffs allege that defects involving eCourts contributed to wrongful arrests and delayed releases from jail. Those claims are allegations, and the reported settlement does not establish liability.
In a March 31, 2025, order, the federal court denied motions by Tyler and Mecklenburg County Sheriff McFadden to dismiss the claims against them. The court granted a separate dismissal motion by Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe. At that stage, the court was required to accept well-pleaded allegations as true; the order was not a finding on the merits.
The order says the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts and Tyler entered their contract June 7, 2019. Tyler agreed to develop eWarrants, implement the Odyssey case-management system, host the software and address defects. The order recounts plaintiffs’ allegations that eWarrants went statewide in July 2022 and that Odyssey launched in Wake, Lee, Harnett and Johnston counties in February 2023. The Assembly reported that Odyssey later expanded to all 100 counties.
Tyler and McFadden were the remaining defendants when the reported settlement was entered. The settlement applies to Tyler; litigation involving McFadden remains separate. No trial date has been set, and class certification has not been decided.
Featured image: Contextual file photo of the L. Richardson Preyer Federal Building and U.S. courthouse in Greensboro, where the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina sits. It is not a photograph of the reported settlement. Credit: Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress.