By: Jenn Wood https://www.fitsnews.com/2026/02/26/asbestos-docket-on-trial-at-south-carolina-supreme-court/ In a tense and probing two-hour hearing, South Carolina’s highest court took direct aim at the legal foundations underpinning a controversial asbestos receivership — an insular, highly unusual court docket that has dominated the Palmetto State’s mass-tort landscape for more than a decade. From the opening moments of oral arguments in Tibbs v. 3M — one of several dozen

By: Kailey Cota https://www.postandcourier.com/news/crime/personal-injury-attorney-to-plead-guilty-to-stealing-1-5m-from-mount-pleasant-law-firm/article_f1ff6461-fd38-4cc0-8d8d-aaf8b37432ff.html MOUNT PLEASANT — A suspended personal injury attorney allegedly stole $1.5 million from his law firm and clients, public records show. William Christopher Swett was a licensed personal injury attorney who focused on asbestos and mesothelioma litigation at the Motley Rice law firm in

By: Mercedes Dubberly https://www.coladaily.com/business/how-new-s-c-liquor-laws-are-impacting-local-businesses/article_bacd1684-a75e-4db7-8d03-efe6e5bb4144.html New liquor liability insurance policy mandates and liquor liability reforms took effect statewide Jan. 1, marking a change for those in the food and beverage industry. Following the new law, a few locals sat down with ColaDaily to share their thoughts on the updated legislation. Phil Blair, owner of WECO Bottle and B

By: Morgan Baker https://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/myrtle-beach/myrtle-beach-restaurant-owners-share-thoughts-on-new-sc-liquor-liability-laws/ MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — South Carolina’s new liquor liability law, which went into effect on Jan. 1, is receiving mixed reactions from Myrtle Beach restaurant and bar owners. The legislation aims to address rising insurance costs by offering premium reductions for businesses that implement specific safety measures. Under the l

By: Erin Mulvaney https://www.wsj.com/business/lawyer-hourly-rate-bill-3400-807cf6ce?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqc4xcWUQGHK_qj1ah9TeYPxbJuY57VGNgN49Zyg8Au7IkH7l8LPlSEpR7XWbQ%3D%3D&gaa_ts=69979d88&gaa_sig=f6nNFknFUDJ6I4dXHpt7Z7ie3vUDGUy2RTZ6VwghuCK8xO43PPTk3LUeVfNJRnBC66tYmAU6kfMe-lTybW4yiQ%3D%3D When Christopher Clark, a litigator at a boutique law firm, raised his hourly rate to the once-unthinkable level of $3,000, he said he didn’t receive pushback from clients. But he did get

By: Chris Wade https://www.thecentersquare.com/new_york/article_8109ee6d-d78b-44bd-8194-a715d97ffa75.html (The Center Square) – Business groups are urging New York lawmakers to crack down on staged accidents and other auto insurance fraud by overhauling the state's liability laws. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and House Speaker Carl Heastie on Tuesday, a coalition of business groups called on them to pass Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposal to strength

By: Lynn Westmoreland https://dailycaller.com/2026/02/15/opinion-how-foreign-investors-profit-from-us-lawsuits-and-drive-up-consumer-prices-lynn-westmoreland/ Americans are desperate for relief from rising prices. The November 2025 elections made that clear, as “affordability” dominated every focus group, every poll, and every concession speech. If Republicans plan to regain voter trust, they need to address one of the most under-recognized drivers of higher costs: the explod

By: WSPA https://www.wspa.com/video/alcohol-training-law-aims-to-ease-insurance-costs-for-south-carolina-bars/11514138/

By: Ashley Creech https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/sc-insurance-reform-rising-costs/article_2a00d7ad-5485-41e3-a192-c9ced70390cf.html With the South Carolina legislative session underway, powerful business interests are once again calling for changes to the civil justice system. They label it “lawsuit reform,” arguing that limiting access to the courts will lower insurance costs and strengthen the economy. But the real problem facing families isn’t our legal

By: Cindi Ross Scoppe https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/sc-legislature-judges-governor-control/article_b129948f-8935-4e38-ad62-cef32c17ab1f.html There’s plenty of room for debate about the particulars of the bill before the House this week to give the governor control of the Legislature’s judicial screening panel. There’s something deeply disturbing about the reversal we’ve seen from House leaders since a big donor who’s losing a big court case threatened to p

By: Post and Courier Editorial Staff https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/sc-bars-dui-liquor-liability-wrecks/article_687a12e7-298d-4beb-b4ce-3d157fe315f2.html We could call this a grand lesson about being careful what you ask for: The Post and Courier’s Sydney Dunlap reports that bar owners who pushed so hard for the Legislature to reduce their liability when their drunken patrons kill innocent victims now complain that they're still going out of business, and

By: Alan Wilson/FITS Forum https://www.fitsnews.com/2025/02/06/improving-perceptions-of-south-carolinas-judicial-climate-requires-accountability/ “Let’s clean up our courts and ensure a fair, balanced system that benefits all South Carolinians…” Over the past several years, I’ve traveled the state advocating for needed reforms on how South Carolina judges are elected. I commend our legislature for enacting changes set to take effect in July 2025 that will increase accountabil

By: Samantha Subin https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/uber-liable-pay-8-5-million-driver-rape-suit.html Uber on Thursday was ordered to pay $8.5 million to the plaintiff in an Arizona trial that is the first lawsuit to be tried of thousands involving alleged sexual assault and misconduct by drivers on the ridesharing platform. In the lawsuit, Jaylynn Dean alleged that she was raped by her Uber driver in November 2023 while returning to her hotel. The verdict, which was delivere

By: Will Folks https://www.fitsnews.com/2026/02/05/david-pascoe-vows-to-investigate-trial-lawyer-corruption-on-day-one/ “Do you see why they tried to keep me off the ballot?” South Carolina first circuit solicitor David Pascoe – one of the leading candidates for attorney general of the Palmetto State – vowed this week to launch an investigation into alleged trial lawyer corruption at the S.C. State House if he is elected this fall. During an event in Myrtle Beach, S.C. this

By: Michael Carroll https://www.legalnewsline.com/florida-record/woman-seeks-1-billion-for-health-effects-of-processed-foods/article_06517962-8ab6-450c-af4e-f57828f648ca.html A young Florida woman is suing multiple food manufacturers, including Kraft Heinz Co. and General Mills, for $1 billion in damages as a result of health conditions she says she suffered as a result of eating “ultra-processed foods” marketed by the companies. The federal lawsuit on behalf of Davina Muthus

By: Sherri Blevins https://yellowhammernews.com/alabama-liability-insurance-claims-costs-surged-as-lawsuits-and-large-verdicts-increased-report-finds/ Rising lawsuits and large jury verdicts are driving up liability insurance costs across Alabama, according to a new Alabama Department of Insurance report that found claim severity has surged far faster than inflation over the past four years. The findings come as business groups and legal advocates continue to debate whether

By: Will Folks https://www.fitsnews.com/2026/01/27/sc-republican-voters-end-lawsuit-abuse/ Last week, we spoke with leaders of South Carolina’s trucking industry as they sounded the alarm ( literally ) regarding the increasingly costly and pernicious impacts of lawsuit abuse in the Palmetto State. Truckers have been the tip of the spear when it comes to pushing back against the corrupt , corrosive influence of the über-wealthy, über-influential South Carolina trial lawyer lo

By: The Editorial Board https://www.wsj.com/opinion/virginia-tort-law-class-actions-abigail-spanberger-legislature-20ce4fa1?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqc5pjyGlClFCKEp64RoAhe2WniN7UMf9x0HbapV0ElSf9tlbLpdt4WlEr0-Rg%3D%3D&gaa_ts=69779b19&gaa_sig=e_58H0LAm3BeVEu1Ls-ftKcYyXSZP6TG7AjFsGFWU_30A0BVpzT5ZDT73wtutGyEH4mzn32KxvbCPRs1TOE4NQ%3D%3D The plaintiff bar poses the first big test for new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger. Plaintiff attorneys are wasting no time taking advantage of u

By: Black Chronicle News Service https://blackchronicle.com/northeast/new-york/hochul-details-plans-to-crack-down-on-auto-insurance-fraud/ (The Center Square) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is pledging to crack down on auto insurance fraud, including “runaway litigation” and staged accidents, that state officials say drive up rates for drivers. On Thursday, Hochul detailed her plans to beef up state regulations, ramp up investigations of alleged insurance fraud, and target phys

By: Sydney Dunlap https://www.postandcourier.com/free-times/food/columbia-sc-bars-restaurants-liquor-liability-legislation/article_26e3ec61-93f8-4bde-8bd1-2314f6ee60c4.html COLUMBIA — A new hope. That’s what South Carolina bars and restaurants were looking for when an updated insurance law for their businesses passed in May after much debate and hand-wringing. Many owners remember holding on to that hope in the beginning of the process. Phill Blair, a co-owner at West Columb