Commercial Contract Dispute Economic Damages Expert in South Carolina

By Christopher Skerritt, M.Ed., MBA, Chief of Economic Services · Published · Reviewed

KW Economics prepares economic damages analyses for commercial contract dispute cases venued in South Carolina: the components the loss claim consists of, the records that drive them, and a present value built to South Carolina's damages rules and venues. Plaintiff and defense.

A commercial contract damages claim measures the profits a business lost, or the costs it incurred, because the other party did not perform, as the difference between the performed-contract path and what the business actually earned or could have earned by mitigating. Read the full commercial contract dispute analysis guide.

South Carolina courts and expert standards

South Carolina courts ask whether the economist is qualified by training and experience, whether the opinion rests on a reliable basis, and whether it will assist the fact finder, under a reliability inquiry of the state's own that does not adopt the federal test. An economic damages report meets that inquiry by showing the published basis for each assumption and its application to the record.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Supreme Court of South Carolina. Federal venues: D.S.C. Court system: sccourts.org.

Damages framework

South Carolina reduces a negligence-based award by the plaintiff's share of fault and bars recovery once that share exceeds the combined fault of the defendants. Prejudgment interest is generally limited to liquidated sums, such as an unpaid contract balance, and not awarded on unliquidated damages. Statutory limits apply to noneconomic damages in medical malpractice claims while economic damages are unlimited, so the economist's figure enters the case at its full present value, with the liquidated components identified separately.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a commercial contract dispute case venued in South Carolina; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total.

  1. Establish the but-for revenue from the contract terms, the pre-dispute projections, and the business's own history.
  2. Identify the incremental costs that would have been incurred to earn that revenue so that only the lost margin is claimed.
  3. Analyze actual results after the breach to separate the effect of the breach from market conditions and other causes, and credit mitigation revenue.
  4. Bring past lost profits forward and discount future lost profits at a stated rate that reflects the risk of the earnings stream.

Attorney guides for commercial contract dispute cases

Other case types in South Carolina

Frequently asked: commercial contract dispute cases in South Carolina

Which South Carolina courts hear commercial contract dispute cases?

Commercial Contract Dispute cases venued in South Carolina are heard in the Circuit Court (General jurisdiction; larger civil cases, felonies; two divisions, Common Pleas for civil and General Sessions for criminal matters). Final appeals run to the Supreme Court of South Carolina. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.

How does South Carolina's damages framework shape the economic analysis?

South Carolina reduces a negligence-based award by the plaintiff's share of fault and bars recovery once that share exceeds the combined fault of the defendants. Prejudgment interest is generally limited to liquidated sums, such as an unpaid contract balance, and not awarded on unliquidated damages. Statutory limits apply to noneconomic damages in medical malpractice claims while economic damages are unlimited, so the economist's figure enters the case at its full present value, with the liquidated components identified separately. South Carolina courts ask whether the economist is qualified by training and experience, whether the opinion rests on a reliable basis, and whether it will assist the fact finder, under a reliability inquiry of the state's own that does not adopt the federal test. An economic damages report meets that inquiry by showing the published basis for each assumption and its application to the record.

More questions about commercial contract dispute analysis

References

Request a consultation on commercial contract dispute cases in South Carolina or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.