| South Carolina courts have taken several precautionary measures in response to the spread of COVID-19. The following measures have been put in place for Circuit Court and Magistrate’s Court: |
- By Order of the Supreme Court dated March 18, 2020, all scheduled terms of court are canceled until May 1, 2020. This includes jury trial terms, non-jury trial terms and motion hearing terms. Circuit Court judges will only preside over emergency hearings.
- By Order of the Supreme Court dated March 19, 2020, required mediation attendees can participate by video conference upon request and the entry of an Order by the Chief Administrative Judge.
- There has not been an Order issued that automatically extends filing deadlines.
- Written discovery and depositions may proceed, with an anticipated increased use of video conferencing or telephone participation.
The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina has also issued an Order dated March 16, 2020, impacting court operations in the following manner:
- All jury selections, jury trials, and roster meetings scheduled to commence through May 8, 2020 are continued.
- All deadlines in civil cases set by the Court, Rules of Civil Procedure, or Local Rules, are extended by 21 days. This does not toll any applicable statutes of limitation.
- All other civil matters scheduled for in-court appearances through May 8, 2020, including associated deadlines, are continued unless all parties agree to resolve the matter via telephone or video conference.
- Case-by-case exceptions may be ordered for non-jury emergency civil matters.
- There is no impact on motions that can be resolved without an appearance.
Colleagues, these are unprecedented and uncertain times. Our goal is to keep you apprised of developments impacting your cases and claims in the Carolinas. While much of our work is now remote, our ability to provide legal services will not suffer. If there is anything we can do to assist you and your colleagues, please do not hesitate to reach out.
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803.727.1221 jshaw@hedrickgardner.com | 803.727.1205 jroquemore@hedrickgardner.com | 803.727.1215 ldixon@hedrickgardner.com |
This publication is not intended to be all-encompassing and does not cover all situations and exceptions to general rules. To discuss the applicability or interpretation of any provision of the law to a specific situation, please contact an attorney at Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo, LLP.