Desa Ballard, Harvey M. Watson, III, and Haley Alyse Hubbard, of West Columbia, for Petitioners. Natale Fata, of Surfside Beach, for Respondent.

This Court granted Petitioners' petition for a writ of certiorari to review the court of appeals opinion in Barnhill v. Swilley, Op. No. 2021-UP-288 (S.C. Ct. App. filed August 4, 2021), in which the court of appeals affirmed the circuit court's order striking Petitioners' answer, counterclaims, and pleadings as a discovery sanction and granting Respondents' summary judgment on Petitioners' counterclaims. The Court will consider whether the court of appeals erred in (1) not recognizing that an abeyance order precluded the sanction/summary judgment hearing and the resulting order; and (2) finding Petitioners failed to preserve their issues for review by not raising their issues at the hearing when the hearing was held in violation of the abeyance order and without notice to Petitioners.

Douglas Michael Zayicek and Holly Michelle Lusk, of Bellamy, Rutenberg, Copeland, Epps, Gravely & Bowers, P.A., of Myrtle Beach, for Petitioners. Marcus Angelo Manos and Cheryl D. Shoun, of Nexsen Pruet, LLC, of Columbia, for Respondents South Carolina Association of REALTORS. Lawrence Sidney Connor, IV, of Kelaher, Connell & Connor, P.C., of Surfside Beach, for Respondents Michael Cousins and Founders Five, LLC d/b/a Sperry Can Ness Founders Group. Vordman Carlisle Traywick, III, Elizabeth Van Doren Gray and Sarah Cameron Frierson, of Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC, of Columbia, for National Association of REALTORS, Amicus Curiae.

Rodney F. Pillsbury, of Greenville, for Petitioner. Whitney Boykin Harrison, of McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC, of Columbia; and Matthew Terry Richardson and James Edward Cox, Jr., of Wyche P.A., of Columbia, all for Respondent.

The Court granted a writ of certiorari to review the court of appeals' decision in Andrews v. Broom, Op. No. 2022-UP-022 (S.C. Ct. App. filed Jan. 12, 2022).

Attorney General Alan McCrory Wilson, Deputy Attorney General Donald J. Zelenka, Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General Melody Jane Brown, and Assistant Attorney General William Joseph Maye, all of Columbia, for Petitioner. John H. Blume, III, of Cornell Law School, of Ithaca, NY; Diana L. Holt, of Diana Holt, LLC, of Columbia; and Rosalind Sarah Duval Major, Emily C. Paavola and Allison Ann Franz, all of Justice 360, of Columbia, for Respondent.

The State petitioned this Court for a writ of certiorari to review a circuit court order granting post-conviction relief to Ron Finklea. The circuit court found Finklea's trial counsel were ineffective for failing to discover and present evidence of Finklea's abusive childhood as mitigation during the sentencing phase of his capital trial.

Charles J. Boykin, Kenneth Allen Davis, Tierney Felicia Goodwyn, all of Columbia, for Appellant. Joseph Daniel Dickey, Jr., Eugene Hamilton Matthews, Carmen Vaughn Ganjehsani, Benjamin Palmer Carlton, and Ashwin Ray Sanzgiri, all of Richardson, Plowden & Robinson, PA, for Respondent.

In this appeal from the Court of Common Pleas, this Court will determine whether the Circuit Court erred in upholding the decision of the Town of Atlantic Beach Municipal Election Commission finding that the winner of the Town of Atlantic Beach's special election for town council met the residency requirement for election candidacy.