Injunction is continued until July 20

Posted
The injunctive relief case between Coroner Bucky Mock and a group of defendants which included LaNette Samuels-Cooper, the South Carolina Democratic Party, the Clarendon County Democratic Party, the South Carolina Elections Commission, and the Clarendon County Elections Commission commenced at 10 a.m. Rob Tyson of Robinson Gray Stepp and Laffitte represented Mock. Tyson presented the legal reasons why Samuels-Cooper is not qualified to be certified on the November ballot, and he requested to call Mock and Samuels-Cooper as witnesses. Ronnie Sabb of the Sabb Law Group represented Samuels-Cooper, he asserted this was to be an injunction hearing, not a merit hearing. he insisted that no witnesses be called unless he was given an opportunity to bring in his own witnesses as well. Tyson discussed the legislative standards for coroner which were set in 2012 at a time when Sabb was in the South Carolina General Assembly. Tyson asserted that Samuels-Cooper did not meet the required standards to have been certified to go on the primary ballot. he also pointed out that her official affidavit submitted for her to run for the office was also deficient in that it was filed on April 4, after the March 30 deadline. Sabb stated Samuels-Cooper had filed the first time on March 19, well before the deadline, but the affidavit had been returned as being incorrectly filled out. She then refiled with what she felt was a proper affidavit. Sabb also asserted that Samuels-Cooper is qualified, that she is enrolled in a certification course, in spite of the fact that the defense has an affidavit from the president of the coroner's association stating the course in question is not sufficient. Without calling witnesses and with a lack of primary key evidence, the case was held over until July 20, when it will be a trial on the merits of the case.