SC Republican activist ordered to pay $40K over failed lawsuit or spend 90 days in jail
An Upstate South Carolina GOP activist who once ran a special needs students scholarship program and later filed libel lawsuits against fellow Republicans is facing 90 days in jail if he doesn’t pay the defendants’ legal fees.
Jeff Davis, of Greenville County, was ordered to pay nearly $40,000 in attorney’s fees for the more than 45 people he sued in 2020 in Newberry County for libel.
A judge in 2022 threw out Davis’ case against former S.C. GOP Chairman Chad Connelly, GOP communications strategist Dave Wilson, former Exceptional SC board member Tom Persons and others, after it was determine the defendants did not publish any libelous or slanderous statements of Davis or anything false about him.
Davis was ordered Monday to pay $39,443 in attorney’s fees for the defendants within 10 days. If Davis doesn’t, he will be sent to the Newberry County Detention Center for 90 days.
“It’s great someone is holding him accountable for these frivolous lawsuits,” Connelly said in a phone call with The State.
Davis in a text message said he plans to appeal the decision.
In a court filing in October, Davis said he has been under going treatment for colon cancer, including surgery in March and chemotherapy. He said additional surgery may take place next year.
Because of the financial costs related to the medical issues, “I am currently not able to pay the court ordered legal fees,” Davis wrote. “I have substantial medical fees which are currently not covered by insurance.”
Davis has been at odds with Republicans over the state’s private school scholarship program for children with special needs. The S.C. Department of Revenue investigated Palmetto Kids First, the nonprofit ran by Davis and his wife, Olga Lisinska, after the agency received complaints that the nonprofit pressured parents into donating in exchange for tuition grants.
Lawmakers later made changes that kept the couple from running their nonprofit school choice scholarship program. Since, Davis has filed several lawsuits against the Exceptional Ed scholarship program and its leaders, including Connelly.
Connelly and Wilson are no longer doing work for Exceptional Ed, which is the only organization in the state allowed to collect donations eligible for a special state tax credit that are used to help private school students pay tuition.
Davis in recent years served as chairman of the Greenville County Republican Party. He has led the ”My SCGOP” movement, which advocated against COVID-19 precautions, such as wearing masks or vaccine requirements. In response, local GOP members launched the Fourth District Republican Club for mainstream Republicans in Greenville and Spartanburg counties.
Davis was censured and barred in 2021 from future state GOP meetings, and was kicked out of a state executive committee meeting after clashing with party members, the Greenville News reported.
In 2023, Davis challenged Drew McKissick for the S.C. GOP chairmanship.
McKissick won reelection.
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 7:04 PM.
