https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/tenant-defenses-eviction-notices-north-carolina.html
Retaliatory Eviction
North Carolina law protects a tenant's right to live in "decent, safe, and sanitary housing." (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-37.1.) A tenant has the right to complain of unsafe, unsanitary, or indecent conditions to the landlord, landlord's agent, or a government agency. Evicting a tenant for making such complaints is called a "retaliatory eviction" and is a defense to eviction. If the court concludes that a tenant is being evicted in retaliation, the eviction will be stayed. (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-37.2.) See the Nolo article North Carolina State Laws Prohibiting Landlord Retaliation.
