SC justices: Trial court should handle Floyd case

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s highest court says a trial court should decide if an attorney and former interim state treasurer acted in the best interest of a congressman’s widow in dealing with her late husband’s estate.

The state Supreme Court on Monday agreed with an appeals court that a jury should consider the dispute between Kenneth Wingate and Deborah Spence, widow of the late U.S. Rep. Floyd Spence.

Deborah Spence sued Wingate, accusing him of misadvising her to take a negotiated settlement that was far less than what she said she was entitled to under her late husband’s will.

Spence died in 2001 after surgery to remove a blood clot on his brain. Wingate was appointed interim state treasurer after Thomas Ravenel was indicted on federal cocaine charges and suspended.