After a couple of years mid-decade in which South Carolina’s appellate courts published only six opinions addressing family law, 2019 produced a more robust set of opinions: eighteen, plus a refiled opinion from late-2018.
Many of these opinions were highly consequential. Two Court of Appeals opinions, Singh v. Singh, and Kosciusko v. Parham, held that child issues could not be arbitrated. Although the Supreme Court has not reviewed these opinions yet, I suspect their holdings will be sustained. In Moore v. Moore, the Court of Appeals finally affirmed an alimony termination based upon continued cohabitation. However the Supreme Court has not resolved the petition for a writ of certiorari. In the two Stone v. Thompson opinions, the Supreme Court first held that an order finding a common-law marriage is immediately appealable and then decided to abolish common law marriage prospectively and render it harder to prove retroactively. In Bazen v. Bazen, the Supreme Court admonished a mother for dishonesty but then limited the petitioning grandparents to non-overnight visitation because they didn’t have a substantial relationship with the grandchildren prior to the litigation. And the appellate courts continue to grant standing to foster parents looking to adopt the children in their care.
Very good feature you have at your site, being able to search archives.
This is always a helpful list for the Bar. Thank you for doing it.