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Legal Information: South Carolina

Statutes: South Carolina

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Updated: 
July 2, 2024

20-4-375. Filing false protection order; criminal penalty; civil liability.

(A) A person who knowingly or wilfully makes, presents, files, or attempts to file a false, fictitious, or fraudulent foreign protection order is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both, in the discretion of the court.

(B) If a family court determines that a person has knowingly or wilfully made, presented, filed, or attempted to file a false, fictitious, or fraudulent foreign protection order, the respondent is entitled to recover from the person who made, presented, filed, or attempted to file the report such relief as may be appropriate, including:

(1) actual damages;

(2) punitive damages; and

(3) a reasonable attorney’s fee and other litigation costs reasonably incurred.