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The summary following each opinion is prepared to offer lawyers and the public a general overview of what a particular opinion decides. The summary is not necessarily a full description of the issues discussed in an opinion.

5399 - State v. Bailey

Anthony Bailey appeals his conviction for threatening the life of a public official, arguing the circuit court erred in finding a mental health professional employed by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health (the Department) was a public official, rather than a public employee, under section 16-3-1040 of the South Carolina Code (2015). We reverse.

4-13-2016 - Opinions

5400 - Fredrickson v. Schulze

Jeffrey Lawrence Schulze (Husband) appeals the family court's divorce decree, arguing the court erred in (1) its identification, valuation, and apportionment of the marital estate and (2) ordering Malia Ann Fredrickson (Wife) and Husband to be responsible for his and her own attorney's fees. We affirm.

4-27-2016 - Opinions

5401 - State v. Wright

A jury convicted Marcus Dwain Wright of murdering Jerome Green, Jr., trafficking in cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. On appeal, Wright argues the trial court erred (1) in admitting evidence from the search of his residence, (2) in admitting South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) records without a proper foundation, (3) in admitting evidence that was the fruit of an illegal search of his motel room, (4) in excluding evidence of his co-defendant's prior inconsistent statement, (5) in denying his request to testify at trial, (6) in sentencing him to a statutory sentence of life imprisonment without parole (LWOP) without making express factual findings and where the record did not clearly support a sentence of statutory LWOP, and (7) in refusing to give his requested jury charges on voluntary manslaughter and self-defense. We affirm.