S.C. Chief Justice Consolidates Cases Involving Nancy Mace, Former Fiancé

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

by WILL FOLKS

***

A flood of legal action has followed the famed “scorched earth” speech delivered by U.S. congresswoman Nancy Mace on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives back in February. Mace’s remarks included bombshell allegations of sexual assault against multiple men (and purported institutional accommodation of their alleged crimes).

Last week, S.C. chief justice John Kittredge put several of those civil cases – and a criminal case related to one of the men accused by Mace – into a consolidated docket to be managed by retired S.C. circuit court judge Donald B. Hocker.

Hocker, 72, of Laurens, S.C., has served on the bench since 2013.

According to the court’s order (.pdf), Hocker has inherited five civil cases and two criminal indictments.

Four of the civil cases are tied directly to fallout from Mace’s speech – including a Jane Doe lawsuit filed in May against Mace’s former fiancé, Charleston, S.C. entrepreneur Patrick Bryant, and two of the other men she accused of being predators in her speech (Lowcountry businessmen John Osborne and Eric Bowman).

***

The docket also includes a civil case filed by Mace against Bowman – who has since been arrested and charged with first degree domestic violence.

Bowman remains incarcerated at the Charleston County detention center as he awaits trial on that charge – and a pending first-degree harassment indictment. Bowman’s two criminal charges – which are being prosecuted by the office of S.C. ninth circuit solicitor Scarlett Wilson – will also be heard by Hocker.

Additionally, Hocker will handle a case brought just last month by Bowman against his estranged wife, Charleston, S.C. business owner Melissa Britton. In that action, Bowman is attempting to have Britton removed as trustee of a real estate concern based on “breach of fiduciary duty” and “unfitness and unwillingness to serve due to an irreconcilable conflict of interest.”

Per Bowman’s complaint (.pdf), the conflict ties in with the Jane Doe lawsuit – which lists the real estate concern, Pommer Group LLC, as a defendant. Britton is allegedly the “sole fact witness for the plaintiff” in that case, and according to Bowman testifying on her behalf would allegedly violate “her duty of loyalty” to the company.

Another civil case assigned to Hocker is lawsuit (.pdf) filed by Bryant in May against Alexis Berg, one of his former employees, which accused Berg of making “false and disparaging statements” in violation of a previous settlement agreement with the company. Yet another civil case (.pdf) on the docket is a lawsuit filed by Bryant in April against several of his former business partners related to allegations of misappropriation.

It is not immediately clear what those two cases have to do with the drama swirling around Mace – who was engaged to Bryant but called an end to their relationship after she reportedly caught him using a dating app. That discovery led to additional revelations, Mace has alleged, including several of the claims made in her “scorched earth” speech.

***

RELATED | BOND DENIED FOR LOWCOUNTRY BUSINESSMAN

***

“I had to tell a woman she’d been raped – she had no idea because she was incapacitated when it happened,” Mace said. “I accidentally found photos and video of her assault. I saw one of Patrick Bryant’s business associates, John Osborne, sexually assaulting her… Patrick Bryant and Eric Bowman both had their phones out during the rape.”

Mace’s allegations are part of a criminal investigation being led by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). In the event that investigation yields criminal charges, those cases – like the two indictments against Bowman – could find their way to Hocker’s consolidated docket.

Sources familiar with the situation say additional civil lawsuits are expected in connection with this saga, too – and that those cases could be added to the docket as well.

Per the court’s order, Hocker has been “vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and dispose” of the aforementioned cases. In that capacity, he is authorized to “decide all matters pertaining to these cases” and to schedule hearings in any judicial circuit where he is situated.

Mace, as noted, is the current frontrunner in the race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in South Carolina. The third-term congresswoman reportedly enjoys a growing lead over S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson, congressman Ralph Norman and lieutenant governor Pamela Evette, although Evette has recently launched a well-funded campaign of negative ads against Mace.

Count on FITSNews to keep our audience apprised in the event Hocker schedules any hearings related to this slew of Mace-related cases…

***

THE ORDER…

(S.C. Supreme Court)

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

***

WANNA SOUND OFF?

Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.