Rhine Law Firm

02/07/2024

Two Robeson County school employees arrested and charged with felony s*x crimes within the same week.
​Within the course of four days, two Robeson County, NC school employees have been arrested and charged with felony s*x crimes involving students.
​The first is Wyvis Oxendine, Jr., who had been working at Purnell Swett High School in Pembroke, North Carolina. After another staff member at the school reported s*xually explicit photos and texts had been sent by Oxendine to a student at the school, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office investigated and charged Oxendine with second degree s*xual exploitation of a minor, indecent liberties with a student and contributing to the delinquency of a minor (comprising two felony counts and one misdemeanor). He was later released by a magistrate on a $100,000 unsecured bond but then a District Court judge increased his bond to $500,000 and made it secured, sending him back to jail. His next court date is February 13, 2024.
Until recently, Oxendine was a social studies teacher at the school. (Please note: There are several employees at the district and at the same school with the last name of Oxendine, including another social studies teacher. When used in this article, Oxendine refers only to Wyvis Oxendine, Jr. There is no suggestion that anyone else is involved in his misconduct.) It appears the school district may have suspended Oxendine the week before his arrest. Licensing records with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction show that Oxendine’s teaching certification has been active since July of 2020.
The second employee arrested is David Alexander Goins of Lumberton, NC, who was serving as a substitute middle school teacher and coach at South Robeson Middle School in Rowland, NC. Goins was arrested on February 2, 2024 on five felony charges relating to the alleged s*xual assault and r**e of a 7th grade student at the school. As a substitute teacher, Goins is not required to hold a teacher’s license. (North Carolina requires only that substitutes hold a high school diploma or GED equivalent to apply for substitute teaching.)
Goins is currently being held on a $3 million secured bond. His next court date is set for February 19, 2024.
The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office is conducting investigations into the charges involving both men and encourages anyone with information as well as any other victims to come forward.
Anyone with information about the case or any other case can call the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at 910-671-3170 or 910-671-3100.
There are 39 schools within the Robeson County school system, which is the 16th largest in the state, with a student population of more than 20,000. The district operates 9 middle schools and 7 high schools.
The Rhine Law Firm, P.C. represents victims of school s*x abuse, and is currently involved in pending litigation against both the New Hanover County Board of Education and the Guilford County Board of Education for s*x offenses committed by teachers Peter Frank and Daniel Webster Smith, respectively, on students. We are currently investigating the Robeson County cases to determine if the school district was negligent in its hiring and retention of both employees.
Recently, the Rhine Law Firm settled John Does 1-14 v. New Hanover County Board of Education for $5.75 million on behalf of 14 male students who were abused by science teacher Michael Kelly over the span of 20 years and Jane Does 1-2 v. The Guilford County Board of Education for $3 million in damages for the claims of two female victims who were r**ed by teacher’s assistant Christoper Holland, who had been fired by his previous employer.
If you or someone you love has been a victim or survivor of s*xual violence, of any type, we encourage you to contact the attorneys of the Rhine Law Firm, P.C. to explore your options in civil court against not only the predators who committed the abuse but the institutions who may have enabled them.
The Rhine Law Firm, P.C. is q Wilmington, NC-based law firm located at 1612 Military Cutoff Road, Suite 300, Wilmington, NC 28403. Telephone: (910) 772-9960.

The top-rated Wilmington personal injury lawyers at Rhine Law Firm, have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of injured clients throughout NC.

06/09/2023

Today the Rhine Law Firm is proud to jointly announce the settlement of its four-year-long litigation against the New Hanover County School Board on behalf of 14 victims abused by Michael Kelly. See the full news story below:

The settlement ends four years of litigation in a case filed by men who testified they were s*xually abused and exploited by former New Hanover County Schools teacher Michael Earl Kelly. In addition to the $5.75 million, paid exclusively by Liberty Mutual and its subsidiaries, the school has agreed....

05/05/2021

Today, the Rhine Law Firm and the Lea/Schultz Law Firm filed a third amended complaint in our class-action lawsuit against the New Hanover County Board of Education. Three new plaintiffs have joined the lawsuit bringing the total number of victims to thirteen. The full news story can be found below:

For more information, including a link to the new 92 page amended complaint click here: https://www.carolinaaccidentattorneys.com/blog/2021/may/breaking-news-three-new-plantiffs-join-the-civil/

https://www.wect.com/2021/05/04/more-alleged-victims-come-forward-s*xual-assault-lawsuit-against-new-hanover-county-schools/

Former New Hanover County Schools teacher Michael Kelly is already serving time in prison for s*x crimes committed against students, now, three more alleged victims have joined a pending lawsuit against the school board, and staff members.

04/16/2021

We are proud to be able to help this family get justice for the death of their loved one.
__________

Star News Story:

"The family of a man who was beaten to death at a Wilmington memory care facility last fall filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday, alleging negligence by facility leaders led to his death.

The incident, which police classified as a homicide, occurred in the memory care unit of Spring Arbor of Wilmington, a facility located at 809 John D. Barry Drive in Wilmington.

It was there that 80-year-old resident Garland B. Garrett Jr. was beaten by another resident while asleep in his room around 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2020. Garrett, who suffered from advanced dementia, sustained several injuries, including spine and nose fractures along with a laceration and skin tear, according to the lawsuit and the medical examiner's investigation report."

To find out more about how legal help for nursing home abuse: https://www.carolinaaccidentattorneys.com/medical-malpractice/nursing-home-abuse/

Read more of the story below:
https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2021/04/15/spring-arbor-wilmington-sued-over-garland-garretts-death-care-facility/7221147002/

Garland Garrett was attacked in his room by another resident in September. Six days later, he died at the hospital due to his injuries.

02/26/2021

We currently represent a number of individual condominium unit owners at River Place Condominiums, Wilmington, North Carolina (“River Place”).

In this capacity, we are collaborating with representatives of the developer, general contractor, and other construction participants in efforts to develop a scope of work to repair original construction defects at River Place, to obtain any ancillary damages, such as relocation and storage costs, for our clients, and to help coordinate logistics during repairs so as to mitigate the burden on our clients living in River Place.

It is our sincere hope to work with all parties to achieve resolutions of these issues and concerns in a timely and mutually-agreeable manner without unnecessary conflict.

A new addition to the Downtown Wilmington skyline and riverfront community is facing problems as developers work to repair several issues.

01/06/2021

At the end of 2020, Wilmington Surgical Associates, P.A. was the target of a large and successful data breach. Nearly 115,000 individuals had their data exposed during the breach.

Among the data accessed by the hacker are patients’ names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, insurance information, and other demographic and clinical information.

Victims of this data breach can find out more in our blog post - click below:

At the end of 2020, Wilmington Surgical Associates, P.A. was the target of a large and successful data breach.  Nearly 115,000 individuals had their data exposed during the breach. Among the data accessed by the hacker are patients’ names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, insurance inform...

10/23/2020

The installation of elevators in multi-story homes is becoming more and more common. A popular elevator model has been recalled due to an issue that causes it to crash to the bottom floor.

If you have a home with a Waupaca brand elevator installed, please read our latest blog post. Find out what models are impacted and what you can do about it.

A popular brand of residential elevators has been recalled and stop-gap repairs may not sufficient to prevent falls. If you have a recalled Waupaca elevator installed in your home, please contact us.  You may be entitled to compensation for the cost of replacing the elevator due to the nature of th...

10/13/2020

We're investigating the assault and death of a man at an assisted living facility in Wilmington. If you have any information, please give us a call - (910) 772-9960

The family of an elderly Wilmington man who died last month after reportedly being attacked at an assisted living facility is seeking answers, according to the family's attorney.

09/23/2020

“These three brave servicemember families are not just suing for themselves. They are trying to get relief for their friends and neighbors too,” Rhine said. "Military families deserve security and dignity in their homes. These soldiers are heroes protecting us and placing themselves in harm’s way. When a military servicemember is deployed far from home, the last thing he or she needs to worry about is that the spouse and children are having to deal with toxic mold, broken air conditioning or other foul conditions.”

The lawsuit alleges that military families have had to live with disgusting and unacceptable conditions in housing units they lease at Camp Lejeune.

09/04/2020

We're wishing everyone a Happy Labor Day weekend! We plan to enjoy a little sunshine and time with our families. What about you?

PS - Did you know the Labor Day holiday was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894?

09/03/2020

It’s been an honor to represent local residents in their legal struggles. We became lawyers to help make change where it’s needed. Among our proudest moments is representing the victims of s*xual assaults in our schools and working to change the culture within our schools so that we become a beacon for what other districts can do to prevent abuse.

Voting is now open in the Star-News “2020 Best of the Best Shore Picks”. We'd love for you to consider voting for us in the “Best Law Firm” category - and don't forget to vote for all your other favorite places and services too!

https://starnewsonline.gannettcontests.com/Best-of-Shore-Picks-2020/gallery/245676958

08/21/2020

Meet Janet, the most recent addition to our firm. She's practiced law in the Wilmington area for over thirty-five years. She started her career in a general practice firm and later joined the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office, where she handled all types of criminal matters as a prosecutor, taking over 250 cases to trial by jury.

Her areas of concentration in the last five years in the District Attorney’s Office included financial crimes, homicide, arson, and elder abuse.

Find out more about Janet here: https://www.carolinaaccidentattorneys.com/our-team/janet-coleman/