Court Opinion

ID: 9539912
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:11:37.762405+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:59:27.131844
License: Public Domain

PIEPER, J.,
concurring:
I concur in the conclusion reached by the majority, but I respectfully would utilize a different analytical framework as to the timeliness of the appeal.
I agree this case is distinguishable from Brown v. Greenwood Mills, Inc.8 However, I would not rely on the analysis of Foggie v. General Electric as the beacon to navigate us to our final conclusion based on my dissent therein noting the fact that part of the case was finally determined by a circuit court.9 *137Instead, I would distinguish Brown simply on the basis that the remand in Brown occurred by virtue of judicial review by the proper reviewing court; the question in Brown was whether the circuit court’s order of remand subsequent to a final agency decision was a final order on the merits and appeal-able. On the other hand, in the case herein, Respondents contend Appellants should have appealed from a decision within the administrative agency itself upon issuance of the Board’s order of remand on March 30, 2006; thus, the question here is whether an agency ruling before completion of the administrative process must be immediately appealed. Because Section l-23-380(A) of the South Carolina Code (Supp. 2007) requires exhaustion of “all” administrative remedies available within the agency unless review of the final agency decision would not provide an adequate remedy, I simply would hold there had not been a final decision requiring judicial review since the exhaustion of all administrative remedies had not been met as of the March 30, 2006, order of remand. I would further hold there had not been a preliminary, procedural, or intermediate action or ruling appropriate for judicial review since review of the final agency decision provides an adequate remedy. This statutory interpretation will avoid piecemeal review of administrative decisions prior to completion or exhaustion of the administrative proceedings.
Moreover, I believe that the judicial review mechanism of Section 1-23-38010 may be distinguished from the appellate review mechanism of Section 14-3-330 of the South Carolina Code.11 I believe a distinction based upon the posture of the *138proceeding and the reviewing tribunal is necessary and complements the entire realm of administrative law. The legislature specifically created different mechanisms for review to effectuate the goals of the administrative system it established.
Here, in the context of the timeliness of the appeal, we are asked whether the intermediate or incomplete decision of the agency required earlier judicial review to preserve the claim. Thus, unless an exception to exhaustion applies, we must determine at what point exhaustion of remedies has occurred to warrant or require judicial review. Quite simply, we must squarely address whether the law of this State encourages the administrative process to proceed to its formal conclusion, or whether at some other point in the process judicial review of a partial decision is required to preserve a claim.
The general rule “that administrative remedies must be exhausted absent circumstances supporting an exception to the rule” is well established in South Carolina. Hyde v. S.C. Dept. of Mental Health, 314 S.C. 207, 208, 442 S.E.2d 582, 583 (1994). At its core, the doctrine of exhaustion serves two main purposes: (1) the protection of administrative agency authority; and (2) the promotion of efficiency. Woodford v. Ngo, 548 U.S. 81, 89, 126 S.Ct. 2378, 165 L.Ed.2d 368 (2006). An administrative agency’s authority is protected by exhaustion because it gives the agency “an opportunity to correct its own mistakes with respect to the programs it administers before it is haled into ... court, and discourages disregard of the agency’s procedures.” Id. (internal quotation omitted). Efficiency is promoted by the exhaustion doctrine because claims generally can be resolved more rapidly and economically by agency hearings and procedures than by litigation in court. Id. Moreover, “even where a controversy survives administrative review, exhaustion of the administrative procedure may *139produce a useful record for subsequent judicial consideration.” Id.
Thus, when a statute mandates the exhaustion of administrative remedies, the animating principles of (1) protection of agency authority and (2) efficiency are necessarily present. As such, although parties to a case may decide that exhaustion is not efficient in a particular case, “administrative law creates an incentive for these parties to do what they would otherwise prefer, not to do, namely, to give the agency a fair and full opportunity to adjudicate their claims”; this is achieved by “requiring proper exhaustion of remedies, which means using all steps that the agency holds out, and doing so properly ” Id. In short, absent an exception, so long as there is an opportunity for completion and review of a matter, then the parties must avail themselves of the entire administrative process prior to seeking judicial relief.12
In South Carolina, the doctrine of exhaustion is statutorily mandated in the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), which “purports to provide uniform procedures before State Boards and Commissions and for judicial review after the exhaustion of administrative remedies.”13 Bursey v. S.C. Dep’t of Health & Envtl. Control, 369 S.C. 176, 182, 631 S.E.2d 899, 903 (2006). While the doctrine of exhaustion is not without exceptions, no exception has been presented herein nor has any reason been presented as to why review of the final agency decision would not provide an adequate remedy. When a matter is remanded *140within the administrative process itself, that matter is essentially “in house” and does not lend itself well to the judicial review process until a final agency decision is made. To some extent, the premature involvement by the judicial branch could ultimately impact the decision-making process the legislature intended to grant to the executive branch through the administrative process in the first instance. Accordingly, I would hold the Appellants timely filed their appeal.
Having determined the appeal herein timely based upon a different analysis as the majority, I respectfully concur in the remainder of the majority opinion for the reasons cited and would affirm.

. 366 S.C. 379, 622 S.E.2d 546 (Ct.App.2005).

. 376 S.C. 384, 656 S.E.2d 395 (Ct.App.2008).

. Section 1-23-3 80(A) of the South Carolina Code (Supp.2007) states the following: "A party who has exhausted all administrative remedies available within the agency and who is aggrieved by a final decision in a contested case is entitled to judicial review under this article, Article 1, and Article 5. This section does not limit utilization of or the scope of judicial review available under other means of review, redress, relief, or trial de novo provided by law. A preliminary, procedural, or intermediate agency action or ruling is immediately reviewable if review of the final agency decision would not provide an adequate remedy. Except as otherwise provided by law, an appeal is to the court of appeals.” S.C.Code Ann. § 1-23-380(A) (Supp.2007). We also note that this statute has been amended, effective as of June 16, 2008, such that Article 5 is no longer referenced. See Act No. 334, 2008 S.C. Acts 334.

. Section 14-3-330(1) of the South Carolina Code (2005), captioned “Appellate jurisdiction in law cases,” references appealability; it in-*138eludes: “any intermediate judgment, order or decree in a law case involving the merits in actions commenced in the court of common pleas and general sessions, brought there by original process or removed there from any inferior court or jurisdiction, and final judgments in such actions; provided, that if no appeal be taken until final judgment is entered the court may upon appeal from such final judgment review any intermediate order or decree necessarily affecting the judgment not before appealed from.” S.C.Code Ann. § 14-3-330(1) (2005).

. The statute suggests that as long as an adequate remedy is available upon review of the final agency decision, any preliminary, procedural, or intermediate agency action or ruling would be premature for judicial review. § 1-23-380(A) S.C.Code Ann. (Supp.2007). Furthermore, the statutory language of Section 1-23-380(A) establishes the distinction between a final decision and a decision that is preliminary, procedural, or intermediate in nature. Id. Even in the context of these preliminary or intermediate decisions, the statute does not require a party to seek immediate judicial review. Id. Similarly, the language of Section 1-23-610 of the South Carolina Code (Supp.2007) also requires a final decision when judicial review is sought from an administrative law judge. § 1-23-610 S.C.Code Ann. (Supp.2007) (Amended in Act No. 334, 2008 S.C. Acts 334).

. While a caption is not controlling, I note the applicable statute here is captioned "Judicial review upon exhaustion of administrative remedies.” § 1-23-380(A) S.C.Code Ann. (Supp.2007).