PrintPrintThe pilot program, meant to speed up the court process for business litigation, will continue for two more years, the S.C. Supreme Court said Tuesday. The court created the option in 2007 for applicable business cases in Charleston, Richland and Greenville counties.
Staff Report
Published Oct. 14, 2009
A pilot program meant to speed up the court process for business litigation will continue for another two years, the S.C. Supreme Court ordered Tuesday.
S.C. Business Court, part of the circuit court system, is designed to put business, corporate and commercial disputes on a fast track and increase consistency and predictability in their outcomes. Part of the idea was that judges assigned to business cases would gain increased experience with those matters.
The special business court began in October 2007 as a two-year test program. The S.C. Supreme Court created the program through an administrative order based on the recommendation of the S.C. Bar’s Task Force on Courts.
In the administrative order issued Tuesday, S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal said the program has successfully created an option to litigate complex business, corporate and commercial matters within the state’s circuit courts.
Toal said a committee appointed to evaluate the program issued a report, based on input from the business court judges and lawyers, recommending extension with some modifications to enhance the program’s effectiveness.
The S.C. Business Court pilot program assigned judges in only three counties: Charleston, Richland and Greenville. The three circuit judges assigned to preside over those courts, in addition to their regular duties, will remain, the order said.
Print