SC senator charged with DUI, lying to police now being sued

South Carolina state Sen. Paul Campbell is facing more legal woes.

A week after the Berkeley Republican was charged with DUI and providing false information to the police, Campbell is now being sued by the woman who was rear ended in the incident.

Michaela Caddin, 21, is suing Campbell for motor vehicle negligence, claiming Campbell’s operation of the vehicle caused damage to her vehicle and the Summerville resident suffered injuries as a result, according to live5news.com.

Campbell’s reputation has suffered since the incident. Caddin’s lawyer said the lawsuit is protect his client’s reputation.

“Her integrity has been called into question,” said Matt Yelverton, postandcourier.com reported. “She has been forced to file this lawsuit to restore her good name.”

The incident allegedly took place on I-26 near mile marker 204 around 9:15 p.m. Nov. 4, according to the S.C. Highway Patrol. Caddin had slowed for traffic when the legislator’s Mercedes-Benz rear-ended her SUV.

The lawsuit filed in Charleston County court Monday states Campbell was “grossly negligent, careless and reckless” while failing to maintain control over his vehicle and driving under the influence, live5news.com reported.

Campbell provided a breath sample that yielded a .09 percent blood-alcohol content. In South Carolina, it is illegal to drive with a blood-alcohol content of .08 or higher.

Campbell’s wife, Vicki, was also charged with providing false information to police because the couple switched seats after the senator failed to stop and hit the back of a Caddin’s Jeep, The Associated Press reported.

Campbell failed field sobriety tests. He declined to go into specifics regarding the incident to The State.

“I’ve just been told to keep my mouth shut about it and see what comes out in court,” he said. “I think we’ve got a pretty good case.”

The South Carolina Club for Growth – a conservative political action group – called for Campbell to step aside on Nov. 7. It said he has “lost the public’s trust and can no longer effectively advocate for his constituents nor can he command respect from his fellow legislators as chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee.”

On Nov. 6, the South Carolina chapter of the National Action Network called for Campbell to resign from his post at the Charleston County Aviation Authority, according to The Journal Scene.

Campbell was not expected to be suspended from the S.C. Senate because he had not been charged with anything that would invoke the automatic suspension rule, said Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, on Nov. 5.

This story was originally published November 13, 2017 at 1:35 PM with the headline "SC senator charged with DUI, lying to police now being sued."