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Supreme Court Seal
South Carolina
Judicial Department
Court of Appeals Published Opinions - February 2020

Note: Beginning in June 2012, opinions will be posted as Adobe PDFs. You can download a free copy of Adobe Reader here.

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.


2-12-2020 - Opinions

5713 - Kagan v. Simchon

In this civil matter, Jeffrey S. Kagan appeals the circuit court's order granting summary judgment to D. Renee Simchon on Kagan's breach of contract and promissory estoppel claims for repayment of a loan in the amount of $210,000. On appeal, Kagan argues the circuit court erred in finding the statute of frauds and statute of limitations barred his claims. We affirm.

5714 - Fountain v. Fred's Inc.

In this civil matter, Tippins-Polk Construction, Inc. (Tippins Polk) appeals the circuit court's order entering judgment in favor of Fred's, Inc. (Fred's) and Wildevco, LLC (Wildevco) on Fred's and Wildevco's equitable indemnification claims asserted against Tippins-Polk. Fred's and Wildevco each brought equitable indemnification claims against Tippins-Polk for the cost of settling an underlying lawsuit brought against Fred's and Wildevco as a result of Tippins-Polk's alleged faulty construction of a Fred's store. On appeal, Tippins-Polk argues the circuit court erred in (1) finding a sufficient special relationship existed between Fred's and Tippins-Polk to support a claim for equitable indemnification; (2) finding Fred's and Wildevco were without fault in the underlying lawsuit; (3) awarding Fred's and Wildevco damages not requested in their pleadings; (4) awarding attorney's fees to Fred's and Wildevco for defending the underlying lawsuit and prosecuting the equitable indemnification action against Tippins-Polk; and (5) refusing to consider evidence of a similar incident at a Fred's store in another county. We affirm in part and reverse in part.