SC

USC Pays Lawyers In Secret

MORE TRANSPARENCY “INACTION” The University of South Carolina paid out nearly 600 checks for “contractual” legal work over a ten month period ranging from August 20, 2012 to June 28, 2013. The total tab? Nearly $713,000. Who got all that money? No one knows. According to the school’s “spending transparency” website,…

MORE TRANSPARENCY “INACTION”

The University of South Carolina paid out nearly 600 checks for “contractual” legal work over a ten month period ranging from August 20, 2012 to June 28, 2013.

The total tab? Nearly $713,000.

Who got all that money? No one knows. According to the school’s “spending transparency” website, each recipient has had their “payee name redacted.”

How convenient …

“The University of South Carolina is committed to openness about the sources and uses of university funds,” its spending transparency website states.

Really? 

Sort of like S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley is (cough) committed to transparency.

Last month, this website wrote about USC trustees who are also powerful attorneys at the law firm of Nelson Mullins manipulating the school’s procurement process to benefit companies their law firm has represented. Was their firm among the recipients of these payments?

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again … every singly taxpayer expense should be entered into an online, searchable database. No exceptions – no redactions.

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25 comments

Nelson March 29, 2014 at 12:36 pm

Hey thats a nice site they have, can you provide some dates we can use to review, or since you’ve already done this work can you provide it. They should just post a line by line thing, having to look it up like that is crud but cool they have it.

Reply
euwe max March 29, 2014 at 12:56 pm

that’s why they use the word “redacted.” no one in your state knows the definition.

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CNSYD March 29, 2014 at 1:22 pm

$713,000/600 checks = <$1200 per check. Sounds like real heavy duty legal work there.

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shifty henry March 29, 2014 at 1:45 pm

$ 71,300 = average for 10 month period
$ 16,581 = average for 43 week period

The number of checks written is probably used to keep the activity under the radar of any prying/questioning eyes….

A challenge from Shifty to the recepients of these payments – who are you and why are you showing yourselves to be chicken-shit lawyers —- CONFESS..!!

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JD March 29, 2014 at 4:15 pm

By not posting the NAMES of the firms, USC can avoid posting ALL THE FEES as it is impossible to know for sure who and how much were paid for what case or service.
if an expenditure can’t be tracked back to a firm then no one knows that certain payments are regularly made outside of normal channels, i.e.. through third parties, are from affiliates like the Foundations of Alumni Association.
Not posting the names is a sure “tell” that there are a WHOLE lot more legal fees paid by Carolina, and that they are paid to INSIDERS.

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shifty henry March 29, 2014 at 5:10 pm

“regularly made outside of normal channels”
You’re correct, and I am speaking from experience…

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Scooter March 29, 2014 at 4:00 pm

The university is not going to like this. Fits they will throw you a biscuit to back off.

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Larry March 29, 2014 at 6:50 pm

USC has a hundred ways to hide their payments to their insider buds.

One thing for sure, Harris Pastides will tell you in a skinny minute that he does not owe you squat. He, and his cronies, believe you have no right to the info.

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E. Esq, March 29, 2014 at 4:26 pm

My law firm billed half that amount. There is serous deception here.

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Cocky March 29, 2014 at 5:39 pm

I would suggest that USC spends 10 times that reported amount each year in lawyers.

I am so tired of this crooked crap. My USC ought to do better.

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Wilson March 29, 2014 at 7:07 pm

Who the hell is more crooked? USC or lawyers that work for USC?

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Edgar March 29, 2014 at 9:59 pm

Jean Toal is the most crooked. Period. The leader of the pack.

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nitrat March 29, 2014 at 5:32 pm

Nelson Mullins sounds like New Jersey’s Wolff Samson.

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Elfego March 29, 2014 at 6:26 pm

Lawyers and Liberals are sucking America dry and one can not use the rest room without prior approval of a lawyer any longer.

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anonymous March 29, 2014 at 8:19 pm

two words … uh uh uh …”NELSON MULLINS” … uh uh uh…..

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shifty henry March 29, 2014 at 9:09 pm

A lawyer shows up at the pearly gates and St. Peter says, “Normally, we don’t let you people in here, but you’re in luck. We have a special this week. You go to Hell for the length of time you were alive, then you get to come back to Heaven for eternity.”

The lawyer says, “I’ll take the deal!”

St. Peter says, “Good, I’ll put you down for two hundred and twelve years in Hell…”

The lawyer says, “What are you talking about? I’m only sixty-five years old!”

St. Peter says, “Up here we go by billing hours.”

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shifty henry March 29, 2014 at 9:13 pm

It was one of the most gruesome cases ever to come before the court, and if found guilty, the defendant would spend the rest of life behind bars. The case had not been proceeding well for the defense. Though there was no direct evidence, the circumstantial evidence was quite compelling. The only chance the lawyer had was to cast some doubt in the minds of the jurors. His only hope was to attack the testimony of the medical examiner.

Lawyer) “And prior to declaring the victim dead, did you check his pulse?”

Doctor) “No.

Lawyer) “Did you perform CPR?”

Doctor) “No.”

Lawyer) “Did you do anything to determine if the victim was still alive prior to declaring him dead?”

Doctor) “No.”

Lawyer) “Then, Doctor, isn’t it possible that prior to your declaring the victim dead that, in fact he may have been alive, and that it was your negligence that caused the death?”

Doctor) “Aside from the fact that his brain was in a jar on my desk, I suppose he could have been out practicing law.”

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shifty henry March 29, 2014 at 9:25 pm

The defense lawyer visited his client in the state penitentiary, and said sadly, “I’m afraid that clemency is impossible in your case now. The governor just got indicted!”

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Your Worst Nightmare March 30, 2014 at 2:38 am

The cockroaches wish to stay hidden in the shadows. And for good reason …. they wish to avoid detection of their criminal wrongs. But have no fear, we shall send in the exterminators in due time. There is so much that is going to be exposed (echo echo echo)

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Makemyday March 30, 2014 at 8:22 am

It’s the coverup not the crime that will get them….Dirty Harry needs to cover his tracks now that the state legislators will audit USC. They are currently moving money and bodies….

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john dozier March 30, 2014 at 8:26 am

Last year $85m in payments were listed as redacted. Wonder where all the money went?

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Manray March 30, 2014 at 11:21 am

USC’s questionable activities are just another result
of the ignorant and somnolent citizenry of South Carolina. We can stop this. We have the power. The people need to wake up and oust the
establishment and end “politics as usual.”
Will it happen? Nope. People would have to get up off the couch,
read something about current affairs, and demand change. Instead the minority who vote will go to the
polls and perpetuate the status quo.

Reply
Philip Branton March 31, 2014 at 2:36 am

Come ON….??

REally………..?? Wil, yuo need to get off your duff and go down and introduce yourself to someone in accounting…!

Do you have any idea how many admin personnel are “miffed”at the cost to their PENSIONS..???

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TontoBubbaGoldstein March 31, 2014 at 8:44 am

A modest proposal from TBG:

THE University of South Carolina State University

Reply
Native Ink March 31, 2014 at 10:25 am

A modest proposal: Shirts with THE Ohio State University on them be banned from being worn in South Carolina.

Reply

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