Fraud and Embezzlement 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 fraud and embezzlement 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 fraud or embezzlement economic claim establishes how much was taken, over what period, by what mechanism, and where it went, and quantifies the loss in a form that supports a civil claim or a restitution figure. Read the full fraud and embezzlement 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 fraud and embezzlement case venued in South Carolina; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total.

  1. Map the scheme's mechanism from the records and identify each transaction that fits it.
  2. Confirm the amounts against bank statements, cancelled checks, and third-party documents rather than the internal books alone.
  3. Trace the diverted funds forward to the accounts and assets they reached, and quantify the consequential losses with the causal link explained.
  4. Separate the amounts established from records, the amounts estimated from patterns, and the amounts that could not be determined.

Attorney guides for fraud and embezzlement cases

Other case types in South Carolina

Frequently asked: fraud and embezzlement cases in South Carolina

Which South Carolina courts hear fraud and embezzlement cases?

Fraud and Embezzlement 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 fraud and embezzlement analysis

References

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