11/14/2025
A federal jury has awarded over $12 million against Florence County after finding it intentionally discriminated against an affordable workforce housing project, The Jessamine, in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
After an eight-day trial, the jury determined that the County’s emergency moratorium and rezoning actions were driven by discriminatory intent, effectively blocking the development of housing that would have primarily served working-class and minority families.
The verdict, believed to be the largest jury award against a local government in South Carolina under the Fair Housing Act, sends a clear message: communities cannot deny equal housing opportunities based on race or socioeconomic status.
The legal team whose efforts helped secure this historic win for fair housing rights in South Carolina includes:
- Shaun C. Kent (Kent Law Firm)
- J. Taylor Powell & Ellis R. Lesemann (Lesemann & Associates, LLC)
- Whitney B. Harrison & Jordan C. Calloway (McGowan Hood Felder & Phillips, LLC).
For more information on this case, visit:
- t.ly/WSKG4
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- t.ly/gpAni