Summerlin Law, LLC

05/20/2026

A federal judge has denied BMW’s request for a new trial following the landmark Greenville jury verdict in a national origin discrimination case.

As I discussed in my latest blog post, motions like this are common after a major verdict—but overturning a jury’s decision is difficult when there is sufficient evidence supporting the verdict.

I recently attended the hearing at the Greenville Federal Courthouse and break down:
• why the judge denied BMW’s motion,
• what the legal standard actually is,
• and what happens next as the case heads toward appeal.

Read more here: https://summerlinlawsc.com/employment-law/discrimination/judge-denies-new-trial-request-by-bmw-after-sc-jury-awarded-5-1-million-verdict/

If you have questions about workplace discrimination, harassment, or retaliation in South Carolina, feel free to contact.

04/28/2026

Can an employer misuse a professional licensing complaint to retaliate against an employee?

A Greenville, South Carolina jury recently returned a $300,000 verdict against Prisma in an abuse of process case involving allegations that the professional disciplinary complaint process was improperly used through an LLR complaint against a speech pathologist.

Licensing complaint systems exist to protect the public—not to be used as leverage in workplace disputes.

In this new post, I discuss:
✔ What “abuse of process” means
✔ The significance of the LLR complaint allegations
✔ Why this verdict could matter to licensed professionals across South Carolina

Read the post here: https://summerlinlawsc.com/employment-law/jury-awards-300000-verdict-against-prisma-for-abuse-of-process-against-a-breastpumping-speech-pathologist/

If you’re a licensed professional facing retaliation or workplace mistreatment, understanding your rights matters.

For SC employees facing abusive complaints against their LLR licenses, here's a recent $300,000 abuse of process verdict against Prisma.

04/24/2026

Can an employer retaliate against you for taking protected medical leave?

A recent Upstate jury said one professor proved exactly that.

I break down the $308,000 verdict against Spartanburg Community College, what FMLA retaliation looks like, and what employees should know.

Read the post here: https://summerlinlawsc.com/employment-law/fmla/upstate-professor-wins-308000-verdict-against-spartanburg-community-college-for-fmla-retaliation/

Have questions about FMLA protections? Feel free to comment below.

04/22/2026

Most employees I talk to in South Carolina start with the same question:

“Is this actually sexual harassment… or am I overreacting?”

Here’s the reality:

Not all inappropriate behavior is illegal. But a lot of valid claims get ignored because people assume they don’t qualify.

In South Carolina, sexual harassment usually falls into two categories:

Quid pro quo (your job tied to sexual conduct)
Hostile work environment (repeated or serious behavior)

If you’re unsure where your situation falls, I broke it down here in plain English:

👉 https://summerlinlawsc.com/employment-law/sexual-harassment/what-qualifies-as-sexual-harassment-in-south-carolina/

If nothing else, know this—you don’t have to figure it out alone

04/15/2026

The Spartanburg Post and Courier just wrote about the Court's ordering BMW to pay an additional $390,000 in back to the employee who was discriminated against because she was an American. The Court still has to rule on the claim for attorney's fees.

BMW’s attorney argued the woman who won her discrimination suit was asking for a “windfall.” A judge only half-agreed. BMW plans to appeal the verdict.

04/07/2026

BMW has been ordered to pay out an additional $390,000 in lost wages to the plaintiff who won a verdict in February 2026 against the company for national origin discrimination. In this blog post, I review the testimony offered by the plaintiff and look ahead to the next steps in the case, post-trial.

After being hit with a $5.1 million verdict, a federal judge just ordered BMW to pay an additional $390,000 in back to the plaintiff.

04/06/2026

Companies have tried all kinds of tactics over the years to prevent employees from filing lawsuits against the companies for wrongful and illegal actions. Arbitration provisions are the most common. But the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that one particular strategy by companies is illegal: shortening the time that an employee has to file the lawsuit in the first place.

Read more at the link for what the current deadline is for filing charges with the EEOC and what the court said about the company's efforts in this case.

The Fourth Circuit has ruled that companies cannot force employees to agree to shorten EEOC filing deadlines for employment lawsuits.

03/13/2026

The Post and Courier picked up the story about last month's explosive $5.1 million verdict against BMW for national origin discrimination, which includes commentary from your favorite South Carolina Employment Lawyer--that's me!--about the case and its outcome.

The employee at the Spartanburg County plant was going to be removed from her role because of a BMW policy requiring German nationals in the chain of command.

02/26/2026

Last night, a Greenville federal jury issued a $5.1 million verdict against BMW based on national origin discrimination. A great result for attorney Brian Murphy of Greenville!

Read more at the link for the underlying facts, as well as what happens next to that big verdict number.

A Greenville jury just issued a $5.1 million verdict against BMW for engaging in national origin discrimination against an HR manager.

02/13/2026

Last night we celebrated the launch of Summerlin Law, LLC! Although I’ve been running the new firm since January 1, it was still a great opportunity to pause for a moment and connect with friends, family, and colleagues. We had a great turn out, and The Loft at Soby’s did a great job in providing great food and drinks, as well as a smooth-functioning event in a great venue.

I did my best to talk to everyone who was able to attend, even if just for a moment, but it was a bit of a whirlwind. But I’m truly grateful for everyone who took the time out of their already busy lives to come celebrate with us.

I’ve been incredibly supported by my family over the years. A special thanks goes to my wife, Stephanie, for putting up with all my shenanigans, joking at inappropriate times, and insistence on pausing TV shows to analyze the employment law implications of each scene. She’s also a total babe.

I’m blessed by my kids, who still think I’m amazing due to my extensive LEGO collection that they one day hope to inherit so long as I keep them in my will.

I’m grateful as well for the many lawyers in the Greenville community who have been mentors, advisors, sources of wisdom, and encouragers to me over the last ten+ years of my career. I’ve been blessed by their friendship in abundant ways.

I’ve likewise thankful for my friends, especially the normal non-lawyer ones who still take joy in life and who DON’T have a substance abuse problem due to stress and due to difficult opposing counsel.

Summerlin Law is off to a great start this year. Thank you for your support. Thank you for reading my posts and blogs. And thank you for all dem sweet, sweet referrals over the years.

Much love, guys.