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South Carolina
Judicial Branch
Supreme Court - Roster of Cases for Hearing

   
The summary below each case is prepared to offer lawyers and the public a general overview of what issues are included in a case which will be argued. The summary is not a limit on what issues a party to a case may present at oral argument.
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Supreme Court Courtroom
 09:30 a.m. (Time Limits: 25-25-10)  
2020-000986   The Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina; The Trustees of The Protestant Episcopal Church in South Carolina, a South Carolina Corporate Body; All Saints Protestant Episcopal Church, Inc.; Christ St. Paul's Episcopal Church; Church Of The Cross, Inc. and Church Of The Cross Declaration Of Trust; Church Of The Holy Comforter; Church of the Redeemer; Holy Trinity Episcopal Church; Saint Luke's Church, Hilton Head; St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church; St. David's Church; St. James' Church, James Island, S.C.; St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Bennettsville, Inc.; The Church Of St. Luke and St Paul, Radcliffeboro; The Church Of Our Saviour Of The Diocese of South Carolina; The Church Of The Epiphany (Episcopal); The Church Of The Good Shepherd, Charleston, SC; The Church Of The Holy Cross; The Church Of The Resurrection, Surfside; The Protestant Episcopal Church, Of The Parish Of Saint Philip, In Charleston, In The State Of South Carolina; The Protestant Episcopal Church, The Parish Of Saint Michael, In Charleston, In The State Of South Carolina and St. Michael's Church Declaration Of Trust; The Vestry and Church Wardens of St. Jude's Church of Walterboro; The Vestry And Church Wardens Of The Episcopal Church Of The Parish Of St. Helena and The Parish Church of St. Helena Trust; The Vestry and Church Wardens Of The Episcopal Church Of The Parish Of St. Matthew; The Vestry and Wardens Of St. Paul's Church, Summerville; Trinity Church of Myrtle Beach; Trinity Episcopal Church; Trinity Episcopal Church, Pinopolis; Vestry and Church Wardens Of The Episcopal Church Of The Parish Of Christ Church; Vestry and Church Wardens Of The Episcopal Church Of The Parish Of St. John's, Charleston County; The Vestries And Churchwardens Of The Parish Of St. Andrew, Respondents, v. The Episcopal Church (a/k/a, The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America); The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, Appellants.

Bert G. Utsey, III, of Clawson, Fargnoli, Utsey of Charleston, Thomas S. Tisdale, Jr. of Hellman, Yates and Tisdale, Kathleen F. Monoc, of Monoc Law, LLC, all of Charleston and Kathleen Chewning Barnes, of Barnes Law Firm, LLC , of Hampton, Allan R. Holmes, of Gibbs and Holmes, of Charleston, David Booth Beers, of Goodwin Procter, LLP, of Washington, DC and Mary E. Kostel, of Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellants. C. Alan Runyan and Andrew S. Platte, both of Runyan & Platte, LLC, of Beaufort, Henrietta U. Golding, of Burr, Forman & McNair of Myrtle Beach, C. Mitchell Brown, of Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough of Columbia, Charles H. Williams, of Williams & Williams, of Orangeburg, David Cox, of Barnwell , Whaley, Patterson & Helms, of Charleston, Thomas C. Davis, of Harvey & Battey, of Beaufort, Harry Easterling, Jr., of Bennettsville, G. Mark Phillips, of Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, of Charleston, W. Foster Gaillard and Henry Grimball, both of Womble Bond Dickinson (US), LLP, of Charleston, Keith McCarty, of McCarty Law Firm, of Charleston, William A. Scott, of Pedersen & Scott, of Charleston, Mark V. Evans of Charleston, David B. Marvel, David B. Marvel, LLC, of Charleston, John Furman Wall, III, of Mt. Pleasant, Allan P. Sloan, III, of Pierce, Sloan, Kennedy, & Early of Charleston, C. Pierce Campbell, of Turner, Padget, Graham & Laney, of Florence, Robert R. Horger,of Horger, Barnwell & Reid, LLP, of Orangeburg, Francis M. Mack, of Saint Matthews, William A. Bryan, of Bryan & Haar, of Surfside Beach, Susan MacDonald and Jim Lehman, both of Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, of Myrtle Beach, Brandt Shelbourne, of Shelbourne Law Firm, of Summerville, Thornwell F. Sowell and Bess J. DuRant, both of Sowell & DuRant, LLC, of Columbia, for Respondents.

This case requires an interpretation and enforcement of the Court's prior divided opinion in Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina v. The Episcopal Church, 421 S.C. 211, 806 S.E.2d 82 (2017).
 11:00 a.m. (Time Limits: 15-15-5)  
2020-001231   Shon Turner, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Charles Mikell, deceased, Respondent, v. Medical University of South Carolina, Petitioner.

M. Dawes Cooke, Jr. and John W. Fletcher, both of Barnwell, Whaley, Patterson & Helms, LLC, of Charleston for Petitioner. Robert B. Ransom, Leventis & Ransom, of Columbia for Respondent.

The Court granted a writ of certiorari to review the court of appeals' decision in Turner v. Medical University of South Carolina, 430 S.C. 569, 846 S.E.2d 1 (Ct. App. 2020).
Thursday, December 9, 2021
Supreme Court Courtroom
 09:30 a.m. (Time Limits: 15-15-5)  
2020-000651   Martha M. Fountain and Curtis Fountain, Plaintiffs, v. Fred's, Inc. and Wildevco, LLC, Respondents, v. Tippins-Polk Construction, Inc. and Rhoad's Excavating Services, LLC, Third-Party Defendants, Of whom Tippins-Polk Construction, Inc. is the Petitioner.

Morgan S. Templeton, John J. Dodds, IV, Wall Templeton & Haldrup, PA of Charleston, for Petitioner. Regina Hollins Lewis, Randi Lynn Roberts, Gaffney Lewis, LLC and Matthew C. LaFave, Crowe Lafave, LLC both of Columbia, for Respondents.

The Court granted a writ of certiorari to review the court of appeals' decision in Fountain v. Fred's, Inc., 429 S.C. 533, 839 S.E.2d 475 (Ct. App. 2020).
 10:30 a.m. (Time Limits: 15-15-5)  
2021-000372   Reginald V. Swain, Petitioner, v. Daniel Allen Bollinger and Jane Doe, a minor under the age of eighteen, Respondents.

Scarlet B. Moore, of Greenville, for Petitioner. Heather V. Scalzo of Byford & Scalzo, LLC, of Greenville, for Respondent. James Fletcher Thompson, of Thompson Dove Law Group, LLC, of Spartanburg, Amicus Curiae.

This appeal concerns the family court's denial of the termination of a father's parental rights, which was affirmed by the court of appeals. Both courts concluded termination of parental rights would not be in the child's best interests, and this Court granted certiorari.