Judge rules for county in Brown lawsuit

MONCKS CORNER — Berkeley County Circuit Court Clerk Mary Brown has lost her lengthy court battle with the county and several of its councilmen.

In a ruling made public this morning, Circuit Judge R. Markley Dennis, Jr. found that Brown did not meet the burden of proof needed to support her claims that the defendants slandered her, asserted improper control over her office and interfered with her using DSS funds.

Brown filed the suit in 2004, a month after County Council unanimously voted for a special audit of her office.

Council first became concerned with some of Brown's personal expenditures in 2002. It asked Brown three times to provide documentation to explain the expenditures but Brown refused. Brown maintained that the annual audit was enough and that her office should not be subjected to another audit.

Council disagreed, saying that the initial audit did not cover expenditures of less than $100,000.

The matter went to the S.C. Supreme Court, which ruled the county could go forward with the expanded audit. At that point, Brown released documentation which concerned the county about how money was being spent.

Brown admitted she lost her personal debit card and "used the county credit card to pay for some personal expenses." She also admitted that on other occasions she "mistakenly used the wrong credit card" to purchase personal items.

The court order says Brown has not explained certain payments made to her employees, nor has she produced receipts for what she claimed to be reimbursement for county expenses.

The county has planned for a 2 p.m. press conference.

Check back with Charleston.net for more details.