MORNING NEWSBREAK | S.C. Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, D-North Charleston, and his law firm are being accused of settling a lawsuit without a client’s permission, forging that client’s signature and attempting to pay off the man when he learned what happened.
Pendarvis has not yet commented on the allegations, according to multiple media reports,
A lawsuit by a former client alleges Pendarvis inflated the potential recovery from a 2021 wrongful arrest case to $325,000. It further alleges Pendarvis later struck a settlement with authorities for $10,000 without the client’s knowledge and filed a settlement document with a forged signature. The lawsuit also claims Pendarvis allegedly later offered the man $75,000 in cash out of a trust account to convince him not to sue.
In City Paper news today:
CP OPINION: End systemic abuse of ‘status offenses’. “And so it was last month when S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice Director Eden Hendrick told state senators that South Carolina is the only state in America — brace yourself — where children can be locked up for kiddie crimes like cutting class, running away from home and, heaven help us, loitering in a billiard room.”
CP CARTOON:
CP FOCUS: Creative collaborations, homegrown talents and more for Spring culture preview. From the soulful melodies of the Charleston Jazz Festival filling jasmine-scented air to the intricate threads of textile art and oral histories weaving tales of heritage at the Halsey, it’s easy to find stellar coming offerings from homegrown acts and international artists this spring in Charleston. Also in this issue, meet Charleston-born artist Kevin Earl Taylor.
CP NEWS: Charleston Water System pushes back on EPA ‘forever chemical’ limits. Charleston Water System is pushing back hard against the Environmental Protection Agency’s rule to reduce so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water due to health risks, calling it an “unfunded mandate” that will force it to raise rates on customers while providing very few real-world benefits.
CP NEWS: Basketmaker sews other cultures into sweetgrass tradition. East Cooper sweetgrass basketmaker Nakia Wigfall is on a journey to blend different cultures through her sweetgrass basketweaving. Her latest: a combination of West African and Lowcountry artistry.
In other recent news:
Spoleto Festival offers local ticket discounts this weekend. Tickets are discounted 30% for select performances during the 2024 festival for residents on the email list with a zip code between 29401-29493.
Charleston-area home sales dip in March. Home sales in the Charleston region dropped by nearly 7% in March, but the market isn’t expected to stay down for long, as prospective buyers and sellers seem to be getting tired of waiting around for mortgage rates and home prices to drop and are ready to get back in the market.
Program helps Lowcountry girls learn, embrace Gullah Geechee heritage. Geechee Girls Rock is a flagship program of nonprofit O.K.R.A. Soup Foundation, with a goal to build the next generation of Gullah Geechee leaders.
North Charleston discuss controversial rezoning of park and manufacturing plant. The North Charleston City Council discussed rezoning plans for the old Baker Hospital site along the Ashley River Thursday evening. The land currently has a 90-year lease signed by the Sea Fox Boats company, which is looking to create a park and a boat manufacturing plant in the space.
Charleston man remains missing in Mexico. Four days after celebrating his birthday overseas, a Charleston man wandered off in a market in Cozumel, Mexico, an island rimmed by white sands and carpeted with dense jungle. The family has continued searching for him ever since.
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