Legal Opinion
Fountain v. First Reliance Bank
Supreme Court of South Carolina
Decided July 11, 2012No. 27141PublishedCited by 20 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtJustice Hearn
Mark Fountain brought this action for defamation based on a statement by Thomas C. Ewart, chief banking officer for *439First Reliance Bank, as to why the bank would not make a loan on a business venture between Fountain and Ernest Pennell. The circuit court granted summary judgment in favor of Ewart and First Reliance (collectively, Respondents), finding that the statement was not defamatory, and even if it was, Respondents were protected by a qualified privilege. We affirm.
FACTUAL/PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
In late 2008, Pennell, with encouragement and assistance from Fountain, sought to refinance or…
2Cases cited13 opinions
- Fleming v. RoseSupreme Court of South Carolina · 2002
- Hancock v. Mid-South Management Co., Inc.Supreme Court of South Carolina · 2009
- Erickson v. Jones Street Publishers, LLCSupreme Court of South Carolina · 2006
- Swinton Creek Nursery v. Edisto Farm CreditSupreme Court of South Carolina · 1999
- Peterson Ex Rel. Walker v. West American InsuranceCourt of Appeals of South Carolina · 1999
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3Cited by20 opinions
- Gail Bierman and Beth Weier v. Scott Weier and Author Solutions, Inc.Supreme Court of Iowa · 2013
- Kunst v. LoreeCourt of Appeals of South Carolina · 2018
- McGlothlin v. HennellyDistrict Court, D. South Carolina · 2019
- Montanaro v. State Farm Mutual Automobile InsuranceDistrict Court, D. South Carolina · 2014
- Barrett v. Grand Strand Medical Center/HCA Healthcare, Inc./ParallonDistrict Court, D. South Carolina · 2024
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