Candidate for SC judge drops his bid after elected official accuses him of misconduct
A candidate for a Midlands circuit court judgeship has withdrawn his candidacy amid a controversy about how he conducted himself as a lawyer.
Chris Spradley withdrew his name from consideration for a circuit court seat in the 11th Circuit on Friday, South Carolina’s Judicial Merit Selection Commission confirmed, the same day that a letter from the Saluda County clerk of court accusing the local attorney of misconduct was published online.
The letter said that Spradley was previously investigated for tampering with a witness, and it accused him of improperly accessing court documents from the clerk’s office. The letter, sent to S.C. House Speaker Murrell Smith and S.C. Senate President Thomas Alexander on Jan. 10, was first reported online Friday by the Palmetto State Watch Foundation.
“[H]e intimidated a witness with losing her child to DSS if she testified in a criminal case,” Saluda County Clerk of Court Sheri Coleman wrote.
When contacted Monday by The State, Spradley denied the allegations made against him and said he had documentation to support his innocence, which he would make available later in the week. He declined to discuss details on Monday.
Spradley declined to immediately comment on why he withdrew from consideration for the circuit court seat. But it’s not unusual for judgeship candidates to withdraw if they get an indication they don’t have enough legislative votes to be selected.
A spokesperson for SLED told The State she was unable to find any record of a prior investigation into Spradley.
Eleventh Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard confirmed a complaint against Spradley was filed by a former assistant solicitor in 2013. That letter alleged that Spradley had pressured the ex-wife of a client to recant a statement she had given to police before her ex-husband went to trial. But the complaint was determined to be “not founded” by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which polices the ethical conduct of South Carolina attorneys, Hubbard added.
In her letter, Coleman, the Saluda County clerk of court, also says she witnessed Spradley on at least one occasion entering the clerk’s office and accessing court documents without approval.
“I remember the day well — I was in the clerk’s office by myself and sitting back in my private office,” Coleman says in the letter .”The Clerk’s office was closed and the doors were locked; there were no employees there. I heard someone unlock the door to the Clerk’s working area. I watched on my security camera monitor and saw Mr. Spradley come into the room with some papers in his hand. I was shocked to see that he had a key to my county office.”
Coleman said Spradley then proceeded to make copies of court documents in the office and then stamped them “to make them look like they had been recorded by Court staff,” before he left and locked the door behind him, Coleman said in her letter.
“Seeing that happen brought back memories of when his criminal client’s indictments went mysteriously missing right before the trial was to start,” she said.
Spradley worked for a time as the attorney for Saluda County at the same time he was conducting his private practice as a defense attorney, Coleman said. She said the county attorney position should not have given him access to the clerk’s office, however.
She said she had raised these concerns with staff from the Judicial Merit Selection Commission when Spradley was being considered for a judgeship in the 11th Circuit, which covers Edgefield, Lexington, McCormick and Saluda counties. Coleman says she didn’t believe the commission staff properly investigated the matter before his nomination was advanced for consideration by the state Legislature, which makes the final call on circuit court judge appointments.
“Those of us who work with Mr. Spradley on a regular basis think that he is arrogant, dishonest and condescending, especially towards women,” Coleman wrote. “On what I know, Chris Spradley should not even be considered for a judgeship. I would never want to work with such a man, and I hope that our legislature will investigate him.”
Coleman confirmed to The State that she sent the letter reluctantly out of concern about Spradley’s conduct.
“I knew it was the right thing to do but I didn’t know it would be so powerful,” she said, adding that the situation was sensitive because Spradley’s law firm is located directly across the street from hers in the Saluda County Courthouse and she interacts with him regularly.
“I’ve already been cussed out, told I was pathetic and that nothing in that letter was true,” she said, without saying who had made such comments toward her. “It’s been kind of hard.”
S.C. Rep. Micah Caskey, R-Lexington, is the vice chairman of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission. He told The State that commission rules prohibit him from discussing specifics of judicial candidates, but said commissioners can only consider misconduct allegations submitted in a sworn affidavit or witness testimony. He also said the commission is unable to act after it issues its report on judicial candidates for the Legislature’s consideration.
That report, issued on Jan. 21, said, “The Commission’s investigation did not reveal any evidence of unethical conduct by Mr. Spradley” or “reveal evidence of any founded grievances or criminal allegations made against him.” The report says commissioners dismissed a separate affidavit filed against Spradley’s candidacy.
”I think Chris is a good guy and a good lawyer,” Caskey said. “I hate that this didn’t work out for him.”
Spradley’s withdrawal means the only candidate remaining for the 11th Circuit judgeship is David Shawn Graham, a former deputy solicitor with the 11th Circuit. Another candidate for the seat, Derrick Mobley, has also withdrawn. The Legislature is scheduled to vote on judgeships Wednesday.
This is a developing story.
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