SC Supreme Court sides with SLED retirees

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court says a lawsuit over retirement benefits by two State Law Enforcement Division agents who retired and then came back to work for the agency can continue.

The justices unanimously ruled Tuesday that a lower court was wrong to dismiss the suit by the agents that said SLED was wrong to make them pay their share toward their pensions along with SLED’s portion, which was nearly 14 percent of their salaries.

The state unsuccessfully argued the employees should have pursued their claim not in the courts but with South Carolina Retirement Systems, where they could have received an administrative decision.

SLED says about 50 of its 425 current employees are retired, and 19 of them work full time, mainly in technical fields, like ballistics.