SCPIF is involved in a large number of lawsuits at any given time. These are in various stages of the legal process, ranging from the initial complaint and discovery, to trial, to appeals to the state’s intermediate courts and Supreme Court. Because these cases frequently take politically unpopular positions and raise novel issues under the law, most ultimately require appeal to and resolution by the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Among the most significant pending cases are:
South Carolina Public Interest Foundation v. Greenville Health System, 2016-CP-23-05148.
Alleges that the 2016 restructuring of GHS from a public charity into a private charity violated state law. Presently in discovery at the circuit court level.
South Carolina Public Interest Foundation v. Richland County, 2016-CP-40-2875.Alleges that some of the revenues from Richland County’s “penny tax” adopted in 2014 have been and are being expended in violation of state law. Presently in circuit court awaiting the Supreme Court’s disposition of related issues in a companion case.
South Carolina Public Interest Foundation v. SC House of Representatives, 2017-CP-40-00484.Alleges that portions of Act 275 (the 2016 DOT restructuring bill) violate the state Constitution’s “one subject rule”. Presently on appeal from a dismissal by the circuit court.