SC Supreme Court suspends legislator’s law license amid malpractice lawsuit

Jessica Holdman
·2 min read
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South Carolina lawyer and Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, D-North Charleston, stands accused of legal malpractice for allegedly misleading a client and forging legal documents. (Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette)

COLUMBIA — The South Carolina Supreme Court temporarily suspended the law license of a state legislator accused of legal malpractice.

The state’s high court, which handles all disciplinary proceedings for lawyers practicing in the Palmetto State, issued an interim suspension against Rep. Marvin Pendarvis Friday. The suspension remains in place until further notice.

Pendarvis declined to comment.

A client sued the North Charleston Democrat last month, alleging Pendarvis settled a lawsuit without the client’s permission, forged that client’s signature and attempted to pay the client off when the man learned what had happened.

Lawsuit accuses SC legislator of misleading former client, forging legal documents

Pendarvis had been handling a lawsuit on behalf of Adrian Lewis, the client who is now suing him. Lewis claimed the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Department was neglectful and unlawfully arrested him after the mother of his then-6-year-old daughter accused him of taking the child without permission.

The charges against Lewis were ultimately dismissed. The sheriff’s office has denied any wrongdoing. But the lawsuit, filed by Lewis in late 2021, dragged out for over two years.

Then, in late 2023 and early 2024, Lewis received a pair of checks totaling $6,666.67 with no explanation. What Lewis claims he found out later is that Pendarvis had settled the case without telling him.

In the aftermath, Pendarvis allegedly showed up at Lewis’ house on April 2 with a bag he said contained $50,000 in cash. On a second occasion, he offered to pay Lewis’ mortgage if Lewis agreed not to sue. Then, Pendarvis gave Lewis another check for $15,000, according to the lawsuit.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the matter at the request of 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe, who oversees the court district where the lawsuit was filed against Pendarvis.

In the meantime, the court transferred Pendarvis’ client files and accounts to another lawyer, Peyre Lumpkin.

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