§ 143-300.6.  Payments of judgments; compromise and settlement of claims.

(a) Payment of Judgments and Settlements. In an action to which this Article applies, the State shall pay (i) a final judgment awarded in a court of competent jurisdiction against a State employee or (ii) the amount due under a settlement of the action under this section. The unit of State government that employed the employee shall pay the first one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) of liability, and the balance of any payment owed shall be paid in accordance with G.S. 143-299.4. This section does not waive the sovereign immunity of the State with respect to any claim. A payment of a judgment or settlement of a claim against a State employee or several State employees as joint tort-feasors may not exceed the amount payable for one claim under the Tort Claims Act.

(b) Settlement of Claims. The Attorney General may compromise and settle any claim covered by this section to the extent he finds the claim valid. A settlement in excess of the limit provided in subsection (a) must be approved by the employee. In an action in which the Attorney General has stated in writing that private counsel should be provided the employee because of a conflict of interest between the employee and the State, a settlement in excess of the limit provided in subsection (a) must be approved by the private counsel.

(c) Other Insurance. The coverage afforded employees and former employees under this Article shall be excess coverage over any commercial liability insurance, other than insurance written under G.S. 58-32-15, up to the limit provided in subsection (a). (1973, c. 1372; 1975, c. 209, ss. 1, 2; 1979, c. 886; 1981, c. 1109, s. 2; 1991, c. 674, s. 2; 2000-67, s. 7A(h).)