By FITSNews || Unethical behavior by Columbia S.C. mayoral candidate Steve Morrison led to a Supreme Court ruling a decade ago that has shaped how attorneys in South Carolina must handle pretrial discovery and witness depositions ever since.
That’s probably not the sort of distinction that this decorated “humanitarian” covets, but it certainly puts him in the pantheon of the Palmetto State’s sleaziest lawyers.
“It’s the ultimate badge of dishonor,” one Columbia attorney familiar with the case told FITS. “They had to rewrite the rule book because of his unethical conduct.”
Generally regarded as one of the worst-kept secrets in the South Carolina legal community, Morrison’s identity as the “anonymous respondent” in the famous ruling – which is known as “In Re: Anonymous” – has never been published.
The case involves glaring abuses of attorney conduct, though, alleged to include the withholding of documents and witness tampering.
Another attorney was disbarred as a result of the scandal, but Morrison was allowed to keep his position due to the fact that he was a partner at Nelson Mullins, the state’s largest and most powerful law firm. In fact, sources tell FITS that the firm’s founding partner, Dick Riley, intervened personally with S.C. Chief Justice Jean Toal to keep Morrison from being disbarred.
Frankly, this doesn’t surprise us in the least given everything we’ve heard about Morrison.
In fact, he was busted just a few months ago for lying about his connection to the payday lending industry.
Who knows … perhaps Morrison and Charleston attorney Larry Richter could get together and have a “sleaze-off?”
WEB EXTRA
In the Matter of Anonymous Member of the South Carolina Bar, Respondent
By Todd March 15, 2010 at 11:24 pm
As we have written here before, George Lyall took the fall for all of Nelson Mullins and especially Steve Morrison in these cases. Ed Mullins and Jim Gray took care of Queen Jean – though she wasn’t the Chief Justice then – but her do boy, Justice Moore, was the “Supreme Court liaison” to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel at the time. Queen Jean took care of her old pal Ed Mullins and NM and they have paid out of their collective asses for it every since. It was NM managing partner, Jim Gray’s wife, Betsy, who lied out of her wide ass and said that no one saw Jean Toal drinking at her firm’s party just before Jean rammed Margaret Cain’s car, then drove off. Morrison was sanctioned for lying in several other Federal Court cases. Anybody in the SC BAR believe that Morrison went out to Policy Management System to help them out? Hell No. He went out there with a hefty salary as part of an inside deal to avoid being disbarred for being a chronic liar in Federal Court. Thank you, Sic, for publishing the rest of the story. Read IN RE: George Lyall to see how Morrison did it. Lyall was a junior, not much of anything lawyer at the time. It was Morrison who was the liar. Have a nice day.
By Lilly Collette March 16, 2010 at 8:11 am
Pathological liars do make good lab rats:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051002115557.htm
Oct. 2, 2005
First Evidence of Brain Abnormalities Found In Pathological Liars
[…] “Pathological liars can’t always tell truth from falsehood and contradict themselves in an interview. They are manipulative and they admit they prey on people. […] in business, they could assist in pre-employment screening, working out which individuals may not be suitable for hiring.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060724003925.htm
July 24, 2006
So who are psychopaths? Broadly speaking, they are people who use manipulation, violence and intimidation to control others and satisfy selfish needs. They can be intelligent and highly charismatic, but display a chronic inability to feel guilt, remorse or anxiety about any of their actions. […] Surprisingly, many who fall into that bracket might lead perfectly conventional lives as doctors, scientists and company CEOs.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090503203738.htm
May 5, 2009
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804090946.htm
Aug. 5, 2009
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100314150924.htm
Mar. 15, 2010
By James F. March 16, 2010 at 8:42 am
The only thing unusal about this case is he got caught.I doubt there are very few attorneys who do not do at least do as much. Our honorable Chief Justice believes in justice for the peons and Just-us for those of her ilk in my opinion. It all revolves around the way they parse words and the connections.Slick Willie showed us that. If the walls in motels could talk some of those honorables of the past would make John Edwards look good.I once observed the SC Supreme Court come to a standstill so the Chief Justice could recognize some of her cronies while a man had a carear being thrown away over a lie. So much for Justice or maybe that should be Just-us and the so called honorables.
By sclawboy March 16, 2010 at 9:29 am
If Lyall was the guy, as Todd purports, he was not disbarred. He was suspended for 9 months. However, his first two Petitions for Reinstatement were denied.
Lyall’s main sin, according to the order that suspended him, is that he stole money from a trust he was overseeing. Although discovery violations are shameful, stealing will get you suspended or disbarred much more quickly.
Todd may have some inside knowledge, or at least have heard some rumors at the bar, but Lyall was a thief, and that is the main reason he got punished.
By sclawboy March 16, 2010 at 9:30 am
Forgot the link to Lyall’s discipline:
http://www.sccourts.org/opinions/displayOpinion.cfm?caseNo=24700
By Todd March 16, 2010 at 9:38 am
Lyall was also related to Donnie Myers by marriage. We need to annex North Carolina for some new bloodlines…..
By City Politics March 16, 2010 at 10:51 am
I never thought I’d see the day FITSNEWS become the mouth piece for the Steve Benjamin campaign. I’ll take a discovery abuser over a self-interested pocket-liner like Benjamin any day.
By fitsnews March 16, 2010 at 10:59 am
CP-
Actually, we’re mouthpieces for the other guy … what’s his name … awww dammit where’s that check …
-FITS
By Todd March 16, 2010 at 11:19 am
Sic: You sure got the Bar talking today. General consensus in the hallways is that Gov. Riley did intervene with Toal on behalf of Morrison and Nelson Mullins – just as Gov. McNair did for one of his senior partners who made a big “inadvertent mistake.” No wonder she enjoys the title “Queen” so much. She has governors groveling at her feet to protect their own. Didn’t you do a story on Henry Mc being called into hef office for a good ole whipping a couple of years ago? Two governors and an attorney general begging at her feet……
By No Name March 16, 2010 at 12:30 pm
The very reason that the creation of this site has helped the State.
There has never been so public a place where the bullshit that is this State’s seady affairs can be aired.
Is it true….hell no one has the time to make this shit up.
May the Queen take these bastards down with her when the prols line up at the Gate.
By Edmund Burke March 16, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Who is the liar? Steve Morrison has not been sanctioned for lying in federal court, or any court. Go read In Re Anonymous and see if you can find any findings of unethical conduct on Morrison’s part. You won’t, because there weren’t.
Morrison had the nads to stand up to some very powerful people. They didn’t like it. So they had their minions go after him. Guess what? They didn’t find anything he had done wrong. If they had, they would have crucified him.
Steve Morrison plays by the rules. You can’t be a trial lawyer without getting some battle scars, and giving a few in return.
Unlike other political races going on, there are no bad candidates in the Columbia mayor’s race. Columbia wins with all three.
By Todd March 16, 2010 at 10:09 pm
Edmund. Be careful for which you ask…..
By Over My Dead Body March 18, 2010 at 12:45 am
Yeah, once again there would need to be the actual documents for me to know for sure but it looks like there is only a borderline case here of discovery process abuse in what was shown. There is an issue as to whether the truck fires were all due to the same problem, but that’s once again a minor issue.
By Over My Dead Body March 18, 2010 at 12:45 am
Big issue is embezzlement as a trustee.