Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca4-23-01471/USCOURTS-ca4-23-01471-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 

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UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 23-1471

JESSICA GIFFORD,

Plaintiff - Appellee,

v.

HORRY COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT; SAUNDRA RHODES,

Defendants - Appellants,

and

HORRY COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA; SCOTT RUTHERFORD; THOMAS 

DELPERCIO; WILLIAM SQUIRES; DALE BUCHANAN,

Defendants.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, at Florence. 

Mary G. Lewis, District Judge. (4:16-cv-03136-MGL)

Submitted: October 23, 2024 Decided: December 19, 2024

Before WILKINSON and WYNN, Circuit Judges, and FLOYD, Senior Circuit Judge.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

ON BRIEF: Andrew F. Lindemann, LINDEMANN LAW FIRM, P.A., Columbia, South 

Carolina; Samuel F. Arthur, III, AIKEN BRIDGES ELLIOTT TYLER & SALEEBY, 

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P.A., Florence, South Carolina; Lisa A. Thomas, RICHARDSON PLOWDEN & 

ROBINSON, P.A., Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for Appellants. Kathleen C. Barnes, 

BARNES LAW FIRM, LLC, Hampton, South Carolina; James B. Moore, III, Scott C. 

Evans, EVANS MOORE, LLC, Georgetown, South Carolina, for Appellee. 

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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PER CURIAM: 

Jessica Gifford filed suit against the Horry County Police Department (“HCPD”) 

and Saundra Rhodes (collectively, Appellants), and several other parties with whom 

Gifford settled her claims prior to trial. Gifford asserted causes of action against HCPD 

for negligence in violation of the South Carolina Tort Claims Act, and against Rhodes for 

violation of her constitutional rights pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The jury found for 

Gifford on both claims, awarding her $500,000 against HCPD and a nominal judgment 

against Rhodes. After the judgment, Appellants filed a Fed. R. Civ. P. 59(e) motion

seeking, inter alia, a remittitur in the award against HCPD, and Gifford filed a motion for 

attorney’s fees, reasonable litigation expenses, and costs under 42 U.S.C. § 1988. The 

district court denied Appellants’ Rule 59(e) motion and granted in part Gifford’s requests 

for fees and costs. On appeal, Appellants challenge both orders. We affirm. 

We review the district court’s order dismissing HCPD’s Rule 59(e) motion for abuse 

of discretion. Robinson v. Wix Filtration Corp. LLC, 599 F.3d 403, 407 (4th Cir. 2010). 

The district court may grant a Rule 59(e) motion “if the movant shows either (1) an 

intervening change in the controlling law, (2) new evidence that was not available at trial, 

or (3) that there has been a clear error of law or a manifest injustice.” Id. The purpose of 

Rule 59(e) is to “permit[] a district court to correct its own errors, sparing the parties and 

the appellate courts the burden of unnecessary appellate proceedings.” Id. Based on our 

review of the record, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in 

denying Appellants’ postjudgment motion. 

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Next, we review for abuse of discretion the district court’s order granting attorney’s 

fees, reasonable litigation expenses, and costs. S. Walk at Broadlands Homeowner’s Ass’n, 

Inc. v. OpenBand at Broadlands, LLC, 713 F.3d 175, 186 (4th Cir. 2013) (reviewing award 

of attorney’s fees); Country Vintner of N.C., LLC v. E. & J. Gallo Winery, Inc., 718 F.3d 

249, 254 (4th Cir. 2013) (reviewing award of costs). We review the district court’s 

conclusion that Gifford was entitled to attorney’s fees de novo. See Johannssen v. Dist. 

No. 1-Pac. Coast Dist., MEBA Pension Plan, 292 F.3d 159, 178 (4th Cir. 2002) (questions 

of law arising in course of attorney’s fee determination are reviewed de novo), abrogated 

on other grounds by Metro. Life Ins. Co. v. Glenn, 554 U.S. 105, 128 (2008)). We have 

reviewed the record and the relevant legal authorities and conclude that the district court 

did not err in awarding attorney’s fees, reasonable litigation expenses, and costs to Gifford. 

Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s orders. We dispense with oral argument 

because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this 

court and argument would not aid the decisional process. 

AFFIRMED 

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