THIS OPINION HAS NO PRECEDENTIAL VALUE. IT SHOULD NOT BE 

CITED OR RELIED ON AS PRECEDENT IN ANY PROCEEDING 

EXCEPT AS PROVIDED BY RULE 268(d)(2), SCACR.

THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA

In The Supreme Court

Vivian B. Cromwell, Susan Prioleau Simmons, Ruth 

Nelson Gadsden, Robert Blake Brisbane and Mildred 

Chapman, Plaintiffs,

v.

Alberta Brisbane, Jeanie Geathers, LeRoy Brisbane, 

Francena B. Lawton, James B. Watson, Helen Davis, 

Rosalee Simmons, LaVerne Hamilton, Minerva Gadsden, 

Daniel Simmons, Jr., Mary Mosely, Horace Robinson, Jr., 

James Robinson, Henry Robinson, Avis D. Robinson a/k/a 

Avis Robertson, Dora Robinson, Jamie Williams, Desiree 

Williams, Mark Williams, Grace Ettison, Dannion Jordan, 

Ronald Williams, William Drayton, Keith Drayton, 

Jerome Hopkins, Joseph Hopkins, Jr., Tracy Hopkins, 

Alethia Gillian, Samuel Brown, Jeannette Brown, Arthur 

Brown, Antonio Brown, Dwayne Brown, Polly Brown, 

Keith Brown, Kenny Brown, Dexter Brown, Marie 

Brown, Starcia Stewart, James L. Brown, Jr., Glen Brown, 

Ernestine Brown, Veronica Brown, Calvin Brown, Jr., 

Harold Brown, Jr., Mary Anne Brisbane, Harvey 

Brisbane, Jr., Danny Bolds, Raymond Bolds, Michael 

Bolds, David Bolds, Carolyn Logan, Mary Jane Brown, 

Miriam Grant a/k/a Muriel Grant, Edward Grant, Jr., 

Gilbert Grante, Perry Grant, Junata O'Kieffe, Martha 

Lions, Margie Marine, Gurtha Forrest, Gloria Gibbs, 

Christopher Gathers, John D. Heyward, Allen Mitchell, 

Jr., Tiffany N. Daley, Michael S. Mitchell, Allen Mitchell, 

III, Frederica Coleman, Dorothy Boykin, Lavinia 

Brisbane, Clarence Brisbane, Jr., Betty Brisbane, Fred 

Brisbane, Evelyn Palmer, Mary Brisbane, Carl Brisbane, 

Carlotta Bickham, George Brisbane, Elias Brisbane, 
Maxine Brisbane, Evan Brisbane, Jesse Simmons, Jr., 

Odell White, Christina Hartfield, Sarah Mitchell, Arthur 

Albert Mitchell, Suzanne Mitchell, Olethia Gadsen, Wand 

Mitchell Harley, Arthur Mitchell, Jr., Benjamin Mitchell, 

Barbara Johnson, Diane B. Samuel, Kathy L. Nelson, 

Thelma E. Nelson, Carolyn Singleton, LaMotta Nelson, 

Rodney Nelson, Jerome Hopkins, Joseph Hopkins, Jr., 

Tracy Hopkins, Lottie Brown, Sylvia Johnson, Raymon 

Brown, Ronald Brown, Bernard Frasier, Barry Frasier, 

Kelvin Frasier, Marie Richardson, Delores Richardson, 

William Richardson, Robert Heyward, Katina Heyward, 

Valorie Heyward, Karvin Dotson, Youlonda Brisbane, 

Kermit Brisbane, Meka Brisbane, Jermaine Brisbane, 

Peggy Nelson, Joseph Elliott, Cynthia Elliott, Jackie 

Elliott, Net Elliott, Stephanie Elliott, Rodney Elliott, 

Nancy Brisbane, William Albert Brisbane, Jr., Bernard 

Brisbane, Gary Brisbane, Bonnie Brisbane, Jametta 

Brisbane Hamilton, Elizabeth Hamilton, and Rosetta B. 

Brown, John Doe, adults, and Richard Roe, infants, insane 

persons, incompetents, and persons in the military service 

of the United States of America, being fictitious names 

designating as a class any unknown person or persons who 

may be an heir, distributee, devisee, legatee, widower, 

widow, assign, administrator, executor, creditor, 

successor, personal representative, issue, or alienee of 

James Brisbane, James Brisbane, Jr., James Brisbane, III, 

Jimmy Brisbane, Emily Brown, Harvey Brisbane, Rosa 

Robinson, Henrietta Brisbane Geathers, Laura Geathers, 

Geneva Grant, Viola Heyward, Henrietta Bolds, Estelle 

Nelson, Swackie Brisbane, Wilhemenia Young, Roxanna 

Pinckney, Daniel Simmons, Horace Robinson, Elizabeth 

Williams, Mabel Robinson, Julian Robinson, Patricia 

Williams, Albertha Graham, Joseph E. Hopkins, Emily 

Brown, Steve Brown, Steve Brown, Jr., Roger Brown, 

James LeRoy Brown, Harold Brown, Theodore Heyward, 

Theodore Heyward, Jr., Mary E. Mitchell, James 

Heyward, Clarence Brisbane, Swackie Brisbane, Jr., 

Susan Richardson, Janie Simmons a/k/a Janie Richardson 

Brisbane, Ruby Mitchell, Jesse Simmons, William 

Nelson, Ruth Hopkins, Thomas Brown, Wilhemenia 
Frasier, Helen Brown Allen, Albertha Lee Richardson, 

Louise Heyward, Herbert Lee Heyward, Loretta Brisbane, 

Gail Davis, William Nelson, Jr., Edward Grant, Sr., Eartha 

Lee Elliott, William Albert Brisbane, Betty Manigault, 

Steven Christopher Brown, and Rosetta Brisbane all of 

whom are deceased, and any or all other persons or legal 

entities, known and unknown, claiming any right, title, 

interest or estate in or lien upon the parcel of real estate 

described in the Lis Pendens and Complaint herein filed, 

Defendants,

And Associated Developers, Inc. and Nordic Group, 

LLC, Intervenors,

Of which Associated Developers, Inc. is the Respondent,

And of which Nordic Group, LLC, is the Petitioner.

Appellate Case No. 2018-000621

ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF APPEALS

Appeal From Charleston County

Mikell R. Scarborough, Master-in-Equity 

Memorandum Opinion No. 2019-MO-018

Heard March 5, 2019 – Filed April 3, 2019

CERTIORARI DISMISSED AS IMPROVIDENTLY 

GRANTED

Wallace K. Lightsey, of Wyche Law Firm, of Greenville;

James Atkinson Bruorton IV and Timothy James Wood 
Muller, both of Rosen, Rosen & Hagood, LLC, of 

Charleston, for Petitioner.

Thomas James Rode and Michael A. Timbes, both of 

Thurmond Kirchner & Timbes, PA, of Charleston, for 

Respondent.

PER CURIAM: We granted Nordic Group, LLC's petition for a writ of 

certiorari to review the Court of Appeals' decision in Cromwell v. Brisbane, Op. No. 

2018-UP-062 (S.C. Ct. App. filed Feb. 7, 2018). We now dismiss the writ as 

improvidently granted.

DISMISSED AS IMPROVIDENTLY GRANTED.

BEATTY, C.J., KITTREDGE, HEARN and JAMES, JJ., concur. 

FEW, J., dissenting in a separate opinion. 
JUSTICE FEW: I dissent from the dismissal of Nordic Group, LLC's 

petition for a writ of certiorari because I believe certiorari was properly 

granted. The master-in-equity erred in ruling the statute of frauds required 

Nordic's counter-offer to purchase the heirs' property be in writing. The 

statute of frauds is section 32-3-10 of the South Carolina Code (2007). The 

statute provides, "No action may be brought . . . " under the circumstances set 

forth. The statute of frauds is, therefore, a defense to a civil action. See Rule 

8(c), SCRCP. The statute of frauds has nothing to do with whether a 

prospective purchaser of real estate may make an oral offer through its 

attorney as an officer of the court on the record in a court of record. This is 

particularly true under these circumstances, where—if the offer is accepted—

the resulting agreement would necessarily be reduced to writing in an order 

of the court. There is nothing in any South Carolina statutory provision or in 

the common law that requires offers to purchase land in a partition action to 

be in writing, let alone in the form of a fully executed written contract 

sufficient to satisfy the statute of frauds. See 68 C.J.S. Partition § 177 (2009) 

("In the absence of a statute providing otherwise, an oral bid is sufficient.").

In addition, the over-arching principle governing partition actions is "[t]he 

partition procedure must be fair and equitable to all parties of the action." 

Zimmerman v. Marsh, 365 S.C. 383, 386, 618 S.E.2d 898, 900 (2005). The 

presiding judge in a partition action has a fiduciary responsibility to make 

sure the heirs' rights are protected. This responsibility includes consideration 

of all offers so the court may choose the offer most favorable to the heirs. By 

refusing to consider a valid offer—an error of law—the master failed to 

ensure the procedure was fair, and failed to protect the interests of the heirs. 

I would have this Court consider the case on the merits.