Discovery in the case of a former Scotland Neck police officer suing the town for discrimination in a federal civil lawsuit is expected to be completed by March of next year, according to notes from a conference held on the matter last week.

A mediator will be selected and designated with the court by July 15 and the mediation conference must be completed by March 6, 2026, the same date discovery is expected to be completed.

A trial in the matter is expected to last four days, the document says.

The meeting was held via videoconference and included Chance Lynch, who is representing the plaintiff Marcus Morris, and Katie Weaver Hartzog, who is representing the town.

According to the document, the parties have established the following plan for the lawsuit:

Initial disclosures: Both parties will exchange initial disclosures within 30 days of the court's case management-scheduling order.

Discovery plan: Discovery will cover the events in the amended complaint, including the plaintiff's claims — race-based discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge — damages, defendant's defenses, relevant town policies, and the plaintiff's medical history.

Informal extensions of up to 30 days for responses to interrogatories, requests for admissions, or requests for production of documents are permitted.

Each party is limited to 35 interrogatories and 25 requests for admission.

Each party can take up to 10 depositions — excluding expert depositions — with each deposition limited to seven hours.

Plaintiff's expert disclosures are due by November 7.

Defendant's expert disclosures are due by December 19.

Rebuttal expert disclosures are due by January 30.

The deadline for both parties to amend pleadings is September 5.

Dispositive motions: Dispositive motions must be filed by April 6, 2026.

Lynch filed the complaint under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “to correct unlawful employment practices on the basis of race, retaliation after complaining about discrimination, racial discrimination prohibited by applicable North Carolina law, and to provide appropriate relief to (the) plaintiff.”

The complaint says that the town subjected Morris, who is Black, “to an unlawful, discriminatory, and hostile work environment perpetuated by and through the town’s agents and employees. (The) plaintiff alleges that after he complained about discrimination, he was the subject of retaliation by agents of (the) defendant. Plaintiff further alleges that the discriminatory and hostile work environment created by agents of (the) defendant culminated in plaintiff's enduring emotional injuries and professional damages.”