Charleston, SC – November 12, 2025 – A federal jury has found Florence County, South Carolina, liable for housing discrimination under the Fair Housing Act, awarding DHD Jessamine, LLC over $12 million in damages after the County took extraordinary steps to block a proposed affordable workforce housing development near an affluent neighborhood.
Following an eight-day trial in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, Florence Division, the eight-person jury deliberated for approximately three hours before delivering its verdict.
After hearing the evidence in the case, the jury awarded $8.2 million in compensatory damages and $4 million in punitive damages against Florence County based on a finding that Florence County acted with discriminatory intent by enacting an emergency moratorium and rezoning the development site to prevent workforce housing from being built on the property.
The lawsuit centered on a proposed 60-unit affordable workforce housing development known as "The Jessamine," which was to be built on South Cashua Drive behind a Harris Teeter grocery store. The development had secured nearly $9 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and was designed to serve working families, including nursing aides and security guards. Expert testimony indicated that approximately 78 percent of the Jessamine's prospective tenants would have been Black residents in a neighborhood that is at least 80 percent white.
Initially, before receiving opposition from residents of the Florence Country Club, Florence County strongly supported the project. In a May 11, 2021 letter, County Planning Director Shawn Brashear wrote, "Florence County supports the addition of new affordable housing in the county and in the specific area of The Jessamine," praising its "ideal location." County Council Chairman Willard Dorriety Jr. pledged up to $10,000 to help install a fire hydrant for the development, also citing the specific need for workforce housing in the County.
According to court documents and trial testimony, a group of residents met at the Florence Country Club on January 18, 2022, to organize opposition to the project. Former County Council Member Frank “Buddy” Brand and Council Chairman Dorriety attended the meeting. Later that same day, County Council Chairman Dorriety rescinded the County's prior support for the development. The development site is located in Mr. Brand’s district, who promised one resident three days after the meeting at the Country Club that “anything I can possibly do to stop this project, I WILL DO MY BEST!,” based on an email entered into evidence at the trial.
Nine days after the meeting at the Florence Country Club, on January 27, 2022, Florence County Council held a special meeting that lasted just three minutes and 14 seconds. The only item on the agenda of the special meeting was a moratorium halting all review, permitting and construction on any unzoned properties in the County. As testimony at the trial confirmed, despite its public pronouncements, County Council was engaged in a “race against the clock” to prevent building permits for the Jessamine from being approved and issued. The property where the Jessamine would be built was promptly downzoned, effectively killing the Jessamine project and eliminating the opportunity of hundreds of families in Florence County to obtain safe, affordable workforce housing.
Opponents of the project, including prominent local attorneys, civic leaders, and a former mayor of Florence, cited concerns about traffic congestion at the nearby Five Points intersection and stormwater drainage issues. However, Councilmember Brand testified regarding his disdain for the federal Fair Housing Act, calling it a “money grab” and a tool to “circumvent” the wishes of local governments. The jury found that the stated concerns of the members of County Council and Country Club residents were pretextual. The true motivation was discriminatory in nature. Plaintiff’s expert witness, Justin P. Steil, who is an Associate Professor of Law and Urban Planning with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, provided his expert opinion at trial that the County’s conduct demonstrated “hostility” toward federally protected fair housing rights.
The jury's verdict form addressed multiple questions under the Fair Housing Act's disparate impact and disparate treatment standards:
The verdict is believed to be the largest jury award against a local government in South Carolina for violation of the Fair Housing Act. J. Taylor Powell, lead counsel for Plaintiff DHD Jessamine, LLC, stated: "I think the verdict sets important precedent that our citizens, regardless of their background, will not tolerate mistreatment of working families."
The plaintiff was represented by the following legal team:
Lesemann & Associates LLC is a Charleston-based litigation law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of individuals, with an additional office in Aynor, South Carolina. The firm handles complex litigation including Fair Housing Act cases, civil rights claims, wrongful death, and catastrophic personal injury cases.
Media Contact:
J. Taylor Powell
Lesemann & Associates, LLC
Charleston, South Carolina
(843) 724-5155
Case Information:
DHD Jessamine, LLC v. Florence County, South Carolina
Case No. 4:22-cv-01235-JD
The Honorable Judge Joseph Dawson IIIUnited States District Court for the District of South Carolina, Florence Division
