South Carolina Public Interest Foundation and John Crangle v. Alan Wilson, Attorney General for the State of South Carolina

Syllabus

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson retained Respondents Willoughby & Hoefer, P.A., and Davidson, Wren & DeMasters, P.A., (collectively, the Law Firms) to represent the State in litigation against the United States Department of Energy (DOE). Wilson and the Law Firms executed a litigation retention agreement, which provided that the Law Firms were hired on a contingent fee basis. Appellants challenged the contingency fee provision, claiming it was unconstitutional and unreasonable. The circuit court dismissed Appellants' claims for lack of standing. We reverse the circuit court's finding that Appellants lack public importance standing and remand for the circuit court to consider the merits of Appellants' claims.