State v. Davis — Uninvestigated juror communication requires new trial
The Court of Appeals reversed a murder conviction because the trial court failed to question a juror after credible evidence of discussions with an outsider.
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South Carolina
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SC Public Interest Foundation v. Oconee County — Bond challenge was filed too late
The South Carolina Supreme Court held that a challenge to the authorized use of county bond proceeds was subject to section 11-15-30’s twenty-day filing deadline.
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In re Smoot — Court reprimands lawyer over unissued title policy
The South Carolina Supreme Court publicly reprimanded a lawyer who accepted title-policy fees but failed to issue the policy, respond to the client, or preserve the file.
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ACLU v. Wilson — Public execution-team information falls outside secrecy law
The South Carolina Supreme Court held that the execution-secrecy statute does not cover public or nonconfidential identifying information and does not punish its later repetition.
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A. Tebele & Sons v. Certain Underwriters — Fire-loss coverage denial and agent verdict affirmed
The Court of Appeals affirmed across the board. The policy was not ambiguous merely because the endorsement used no special symbol next to the insured location or left the word “maintained” undefined. Read as a whole, the documents identified properties represented as fully sprinklered, and requiring a sprinkler system to be maintained in complete working order could not reasonably cover a system that had never been connected or made operational. Language covering additions under construction did not transform the unfinished sprinkler work into coverage for the destroyed building.
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Bunch v. USC — Court rejects COVID-19 tuition refund claims
The South Carolina Court of Appeals held that USC did not promise face-to-face instruction and that students showed no recoverable damages from the spring 2020 move online.