Treasurer’s friend gets up to $3M in state work

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A fraternity brother and personal attorney for South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis is working on a lawsuit tied to state investment losses and could be paid $3 million in contingency fees.

Loftis says he didn’t ask for lawyer Mike Montgomery to get the work. He says another lawyer asked to add Montgomery to the case.

Lawyer Mitchell Willoughby says he asked for that because Montgomery and Loftis had close ties and he thought that would be helpful to the case.

Attorney General Alan Wilson approved the arrangement. He says the relationship between Loftis and Montgomery won’t hurt taxpayers.

Charleston School of Law professor Gerald Finkel questions those kinds of personal ties and says it smacks of political patronage.