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by JENN WOOD
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South Carolina state senator — and struggling 2026 gubernatorial hopeful — Josh Kimbrell is facing fresh allegations that he flouted court orders, misled a judge, and meddled in the affairs of a company he was prohibited from touching.
According to a October 24, 2025 court filing (.pdf) in Greenville County, Kimbrell and his wife, Liliya Kimbrell, were accused of willfully violating both a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued on July 11, 2025 (.pdf) and a preliminary injunction (.pdf) entered on July 22, 2025. Those two orders stripped the couple of control over Exodus Aircraft LLC, the charter company at the center of a civil-fraud suit brought by Kimbrell’s former business partner, Frank Rogers.
According to Rogers’ initial lawsuit against Kimbrell and his wife, the couple conspired with a banker to steal more than $2 million from the company.
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Rogers’ filing cited a long list of South Carolina precedents defining contempt as the “willful disobedience of a clear and unequivocal court order.” The memorandum argued the Kimbrells’ conduct fits that definition precisely — pointing to emails, texts, and public statements showing they knew about the restraining order while claiming ignorance to the court.
Though the couple’s answer to the court insisted they were “vacationing outside the United States” and were unaware of the TRO, the plaintiffs produced evidence showing both senator Kimbrell and his wife had actual notice of the case the morning after the order was issued.
That evidence, detailed in a series of exhibits attached to the filing, painted a very different picture — one in which the Kimbrells were not only aware of the lawsuit, but were actively responding to it in real time.
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Among the exhibits submitted with the filing were a collection of emails, text messages, and media reports showing that both Josh and Liliya Kimbrell were discussing the case, coordinating responses, and making public statements within hours of the restraining order being issued.
The documents included internal communications in which senator Kimbrell described the suit as a “deceptive and wrong attack” and enlisted his public relations team
The documents also included text messages from Liliya Kimbrell telling an Exodus employee, “we have been attacked,” after receiving a message containing a FITSNews article about the case.
The filing also pointed to local and statewide news coverage quoting Kimbrell dismissing the allegations as “ludicrous” and “lawfare.”
Taken together, the plaintiffs argue, this evidence demonstrates the couple “were fully aware of the nature of this action and subject to the restraints of the TRO” — even as they publicly denied it.
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ALLEGED EVIDENCE DESTRUCTION
Rogers’ attorneys insist the Kimbrells went further than denial. Liliya Kimbrell allegedly deleted her entire email mailbox on July 12, 2025 – the same day she acknowledged the lawsuit in text messages. Both defendants are accused of continuing to erase or conceal records after certifying to the court that no destruction had occurred.
The memorandum also cited new alleged misconduct since they submitted a rule to show cause petition in August:
- Failure to surrender corporate records — including tax filings, vendor contracts, and credit-card statements — despite a written August 13 demand letter (.pdf).
- Ongoing communication with investors — in direct violation of the injunction’s ban on contacting Exodus stakeholders.
The filing’s most striking new exhibit is an October 13, 2025 email thread (.pdf) in which Kimbrell emailed multiple investors attacking Rogers’ management and alleging “sub-par maintenance practices” at the company — language Rogers’ lawyers called “scurrilous” and intentionally damaging to Exodus’ reputation.
In light of these alleged violations, Rogers is asking the court to impose the strongest possible sanctions. The filing requested that both Josh and Liliya Kimbrell be held in civil and/or criminal contempt, that their defenses and counterclaims be stricken, and that the court apply a spoliation inference — which presumes that any deleted or withheld materials would have been unfavorable to them. It also sought a forensic inspection of all devices and accounts tied to the Kimbrells and an award of attorney’s fees and investigative costs.
Without such action, Rogers’ attorneys argued, the couple’s “flouting of this court’s orders will undoubtedly continue.”
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RELATED | NEW LAWSUIT ADDS TO JOSH KIMBRELL’S LEGAL WOES
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The contempt allegations deepen Kimbrell’s legal and political peril. The senator — who remains under a preliminary injunction forbidding him from using the “Exodus” name or accessing company assets — is also a defendant in a separate Spartanburg County debt-collection suit tied to the same aviation venture.
Meanwhile, his gubernatorial campaign finance filings tell their own story of decline. According to Kimbrell’s third-quarter 2025 disclosure (.pdf) filed on October 16, 2025, he reported just $18,500 in contributions for the quarter and $24,900 total for the election cycle — including $500 from his own pocket. His campaign spent $16,501 during that same period, leaving a mere $6,798 in cash on hand at quarter’s end.
Every other gubernatorial campaign is raising hundreds of thousands of dollars…
Despite those numbers, Kimbrell continues to frame the Greenville case as a politically motivated “smear,” portraying himself as the victim of “lawfare” and “elites in Columbia” trying to silence him. But with a courtroom record now filled with his own emails, deleted files, and investor outreach — and a campaign account running on fumes — the senator’s twin battles for political survival and legal credibility appear to be converging.
A hearing looms this week in Greenville County circuit court, where judge Jessica Salvini will preside over a packed slate of motions. Among them: the plaintiffs’ Rule to Show Cause petition (.pdf), which accused the couple of showing “a stunning disregard for this court’s authority,” and plaintiffs are asking for sanctions “to the maximum extent allowed by law” — including a finding of contempt, the striking of defenses, and a full forensic inspection of the Kimbrells’ devices.
As the case precedes, the stakes are high: the outcome could determine not only the future of Exodus Aircraft, but also the political fortunes of a sitting state senator now fighting for credibility in both the courtroom and on the campaign trail.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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3 comments
Sounds like he was too familiar with the old ways.
Its a new South Carolina, and he is going in front of a new circuit court Judge who doesnt play around.
Hang up the Governor race, start following court orders and face the music. No one is slightly worried about him becoming the next Governor so I’m not sure why he is placing the attack on that premise alone.
And by the way theres a lot of repairing spartanburg is going through right now to have its state senator frolicking around on vacation, while people are worried about food for their kids, buzzing around in a governors race while being in contempt of court.
He needs to get out and help repair his city. Go promote and volunteer at a food pantry or something. Thats what he needs to focus on.
Service of Process.