South Carolina Lawyers Weekly

Sep 15, 2025

FBI, DOJ probe expose corruption in rural Georgia county

A rural Georgia county faced corruption and drug smuggling until FBI and DOJ stepped in, leading to RICO indictments and community-changing arrests.

Oct 4, 2024

Civil RICO: A tool of advocacy

Since 1985, RICO has become the weapon of choice for civil plaintiffs because of the broad and liberal construction of the statute and the potential of the litigation equivalent of terror or a thermonuclear device — the availability of treble damages.

Dec 13, 2021

4th Circuit: No private right to injunctive relief under RICO

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act doesn’t give private plaintiffs a right to sue for injunctive relief, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has unanimously ruled in an […]

Apr 30, 2018

Tort/Negligence – RICO – Mail & Wire Fraud – Veterans’ Benefits – Declaratory Judgment

The alleged intimate involvement of a lawyer and her firm in a scheme to defraud veterans of their pensions is sufficient to state RICO and conspiracy claims against them. The […]

Jun 21, 2017

Criminal Practice – College Trustee’s RICO Conviction Reversed

U.S. v. Pinson (Lawyers Weekly No. 001-137-17, 40 pp.) (Per Curiam) No. 15-4311, June 19, 2017; USDC at Columbia, S.C. (Norton, J.) 4th Cir. Holding: The 4th Circuit reverses RICO […]

Apr 12, 2016

Arbitration – Claim Amounts – Securities – Counterclaims – RICO & Extortion – Conspiracy

Brooks v. Field (Lawyers Weekly No. 002-068-16, 16 pp.) (Bruce Howe Hendricks, J.) 6:14-cv-02267; D.S.C. Holding: The parties’ arbitration clause only applies to claims up to $50,000. Even considering each […]

Sep 15, 2015

Tort/Negligence – RICO – NCIS Agents – Terrorism Suspect

Abou-Hussein v. Mabus (Lawyers Weekly No. 002-160-15, 11 pp.) (Richard Mark Gergel, J.) 2:14-cv-02597; D.S.C. Holding: According to plaintiff’s own allegations, he was an unpaid informant for the Federal Bureau […]

Jul 14, 2015

Civil Practice — No Intervention after Suit Settlement

CVLR Performance Horses Inc. v. Wynne (Lawyers Weekly No. 001-126-15, 17 pp.) (Diaz, J.) No. 14-1021, July 9, 2015; USDC at Lynchburg, Va. (Moon, J.) 4th Cir. Holding: Two investors […]

Apr 28, 2015

Insurance — Disability – RICO Claim – Civil Practice – Statute of Limitations – Standing

Williams v. National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, PA (Lawyers Weekly No. 002-071-15, 15 pp.) (Bruce Howe Hendricks, J.) 6:14-cv-00870; D.S.C. Holding: A 2004 letter – informing plaintiff that […]

Mar 19, 2015

Criminal Practice — RICO Convictions Upheld for ‘Latin Kings’

U.S. v. Cornell (Lawyers Weekly No. 001-048-15, 33 pp.) (Agee, J.) No. 13-4630, March 16, 2015; USDC at Greensboro, N.C. (Beaty, J.) 4th Cir. Holding: Three members of the Latin […]

Jan 27, 2015

Securities — PLSRA – RICO Claim – Ponzi Scheme – Lender

Capital Investment Funding, LLC v. Field (Lawyers Weekly No. 002-017-14, 10 pp.) (Bruce Howe Hendricks, J.) 6:12-cv-03401; D.S.C. Holding: Even though plaintiff alleges mail, bank and wire fraud as the […]

Oct 26, 2011

Tort/Negligence – RICO – Enterprise/Person – Enterprise/Pattern – Vitamin Advertising

Spelman v. Bayer Corp. Although plaintiffs claim that the marketing agencies mentioned in their complaint are not “agents” of the Bayer defendants, nothing in the complaint indicates that the marketing agencies or the direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing enterprise undertook any function independent of Bayer’s direction or separate from Bayer’s own business of marketing its products[...]