Jeff Davis’s Chickens Have Come Home to Roost
As it has been reported this past week, on November 25th, 2024, Jeff Davis, former Greenville County Republican Party (GCRP) Chairman and current GCRP State Executive Committeeman, has been ordered by 8th Circuit Judge Donald Hocker to serve 90 days in the Newberry Detention Center unless he pays $39,443 in court contempt fees within ten days of the order.
Jeff Davis responded the day after the ruling that he had no plans to go to jail and would appeal the judgment.
The Facts
On October 11, 2024, three Civil Actions were brought before Judge Hocker that involved eight distinct orders from the past (take notice of the dates): two orders involving two of the civil actions dated back to October 15, 2021, two more orders involving the same two civil actions dated back to September 19, 2022, two other orders involving the same two civil actions dated back to January 3, 2023, one order involving one of the two civil actions already mentioned dated back to June 10, 2024, and the eighth and final order involving the third civil action dated back to February 28, 2024.
The 8th Circuit Court ruled the first six orders above, but the last two above orders were ruled in South Carolina’s Court of Appeals.
Jeff Davis FILED these three civil action lawsuits as the plaintiff, not the other way around. He filed against five named individuals, two corporations, and forty fictitiously-named John Does as the defendants in this case.
Although Davis practices law in Georgia and not South Carolina, he chose to represent himself as the plaintiff in these cases. This decision implies that he has sufficient confidence in his understanding of South Carolina state laws, court procedures, policies, and the court system requirements.
“Plaintiff (Jefferson Davis, Jr.) has repeatedly and willfully disobeyed the substantive and procedural requirements of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure and Orders of this Court and South Carolina Courts of Appeals.”
Despite Davis's above claim of his attorney expertise, the 8th Circuit Court of Common Pleas has clearly stated that “Plaintiff (Jefferson Davis, Jr.) has repeatedly and willfully disobeyed the substantive and procedural requirements of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure and Orders of this Court and South Carolina Courts of Appeals.” Davis continually failed to provide any response to any of the written discovery requests and failed to comply with the Order Compelling Discovery on numerous times. At one point, Davis offered “no opposition to the submission of the fee affidavits.” However, he was known for filing “untimely” Plaintiff’s notices and motions for reconsideration of the order.
The Court stated that Plaintiff continued to disobey and disregard the Circuit Court and the Court of Appeals in numerous other orders and motions. Davis has demonstrated obvious signs of willfully disregarding, disobeying, and disrupting the Courts of South Carolina as he continues to use lawfare against his Republican opponents. According to the court documents, he has also shown a gross indifference to defendants’ rights and South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure.
The Circuit Court ruled that Defendants showed with clear and convincing evidence that Plaintiff willfully disobeyed and disregarded all eight orders.
To add to his lawfare, the court also stated that Davis filed temporary restraining orders on some of the defendants, but the court ruled that Davis did not have standing to assert the claims.
This is not the only case that Davis has used lawfare in filing against Republicans
This is not the only case that Davis has used lawfare in filing against Republicans, including some of the same people in this lawsuit. We have undoubtedly stumbled on compulsive behavior and a pattern of using the law as a political weapon. The following is a list of cases we have found thus far in South Carolina that Davis has filed against other Republicans and Republican-associated organizations – a total of thirteen lawsuits so far across six different counties. There was also an attempted lawfare action involving four no-trespass notices against four Republican women in Greenville. The following is public information that is available for research at https://www.sccourts.org/case-records-search.
Charleston County (2)
- Filed by Palmetto Kids First (PKF, Jeff & Olga) on 12/03/2015 – Case No.: 2015-CP-10-06543 against ten named individuals, five organizations, and ten fictitiously-named John Does. (DISMISSED)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 12/04/2015 – Case No.: 2015-CP-10-06567 against one named individual and one organization. This one has Davis’s wife Olga Lisinska as a plaintiff as well. (DISMISSED)
Richland County (2)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 11/13/2017 – Case No.: 2017-CP-40-06976 against one organization (DISMISSED)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 05/03/2018 – Civil Case No.: 2018-CP-40-2425 originally against one named individual, one organization, and twenty fictitiously-named John Does. Later, it was amended to eighteen individuals, fifteen organizations, and forty fictitiously-named John Does. (DISMISSED)
Lexington County (1)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 09/09/2019 – Case No.: 2019-CP-32-03622 against SCDOR (RULED AGAINST DAVIS)
Greenville County (5)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 07/31/2017 – Civil Case No.: 2017-CP-23-04748 against one organization (Change of Venue)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 11/07/2019 – Civil Case No.: 2019-CP-40-06460 against one named individual and forty fictitiously-named John Does (DISMISSED)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 11/12/2019 – Civil Case No.: 2019-CP-23-06576 against one named individual, two organizations, and forty fictitiously-named John Does (PENDING)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 04/16/2021 – Civil Case No.: 2021-CP-23-01774 against one named individual.This one has Davis’s wife Olga Lisinska as a plaintiff as well. (DISMISSED)
- August 2023 – Jeff Davis Served four No-Trespass Notices against four Republican women as a political weapon due to their political stand against his disruptive actions as a Greenville County Republican Officer. (Greenville County Sheriff's Department did not acknowledge or act upon the notices when three of the four women served appeared later at GOP County Headquarters to fulfill their GCRP Executive Committee duties.)
Newberry County (3)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 02/12/2020 – Case No.: 2020-CP-36-00093 against two named individuals and one organization, and forty fictitiously-named John Does (DISMISSED)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 09/10/2020 – Case No.: 2020-CP-36-00382 against two named individuals and one organization, and forty fictitiously-named John Does (RULED AGAINST DAVIS)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 09/11/2020 – Case No.: 2020-CP-36-00384 against two named individuals and one organization, and forty fictitiously-named John Does (RULED AGAINST DAVIS)
Anderson County (1)
- Filed by Jeff Davis on 05/07/2021 – Case No.: 2021-CP-04-00869 against three named individuals and twenty fictitiously-named John Does. This one has Davis’s wife Olga Lisinska as a plaintiff as well. (DISMISSED)
Davis is also known for being disruptive and rude in public political business meetings. Even though his MYSCGOP followers recently helped get him voted as the State Executive Committeeman for GCRP, he was censured and banned from any of the State GOP Executive Committee meetings due to his open clashes with party members and his disruptive outbursts during state executive committee meetings, making him a defunct State EC.
He would encourage his MYSCGOP followers to shout down and humiliate other fellow county Republicans.
As this news outlet has reported numerously, while Chairman of the GCRP, he would oversee meetings that would end up with county executive members being pulled away from each other in potential fights during meetings. He would encourage his MYSCGOP followers to shout down and humiliate other fellow county Republicans. He was known for not following Robert's Rules of Order and outright not following county or state party rules, creating chaos, which is the liberal’s playbook from Saul Alinsky’s book, Rules for Radicles.
Davis fed off his polarizing personality and has proven his disregard for the rule of order and law while using it as a weapon against his political opponents - Republicans.
You can read past articles and editorials regarding Davis's disruptive actions by going to https://timesexaminer.com/component/finder/search?q=Jeff+Davis&Itemid=504.
The Back Story
Jeff Davis has a past that may help explain his character, bitterness, and his lawfare actions of today.
As far back as a decade, the national Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP) announced on October 24, 2014 public disciplinary actions against Jeff Davis when he resided in Mt. Pleasant, SC. As a result, they revoked his membership due to the following response from CFP.
“In August 2014, CFP Board issued an order permanently revoking Mr. Davis’ right to use the CFP® certification marks. This discipline followed Mr. Davis’ entry into a settlement agreement with CFP Board in which he CONSENTED to CFP Board’s findings that he told clients that they were purchasing a stock while failing to tell them about a $5 million dollar liability, told clients that their $950,000 was being used to purchase a stock when he was really using it to pay interest on the loan as well as business and personal expenses, told clients that he was indicating to the bank to change the guarantors of the loan when he did not, informed the clients that the loan was current when it was not and filed bankruptcy after promising to have the clients released as guarantors on the $5 million dollar loan. The Commission found that Mr. Davis’ conduct violated Rules 102, 103(d), 202, 401(a), 501, 606(b) and 607 of CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Rules 1.4 and 6.5 of CFP Board’s Rules of Conduct as well as Practice Standards 400-3 and 500-2, providing grounds for discipline under Articles 3(a) and 3(b) of CFP Board’s Disciplinary Rules and Procedures. In accordance with Article 4.4 of the Disciplinary Rules, CFP Board issued a Revocation of Mr. Davis’ CFP® certification. Mr. Davis’ revocation is effective as of August 14, 2014.”
Notice that according to CFP, Davis entered into a settlement agreement with CFP in which he CONSENTED to CFP’s findings regarding his mishandling and the deceit regarding Naomi and Andrew Taylor’s investments in Georgia. More about this can be found at https://timesexaminer.com/political/11755-myscgop-leader-s-house-of-cards-is-falling-and-so-is-his-grip-on-greenville-county-republican-party.
CFP’s revocation of Davis financial planning certification can be found at https://www.cfp.net/verify-a-cfp-professional/certification-and-background/3f99a870-e0a6-47bb-b2ee-407d94185c2a?limit=20&pg=1&lastName=davis&state=sc.
Davis entered into a settlement agreement with CFP in which he CONSENTED to CFP’s findings regarding his mishandling and the deceit regarding Naomi and Andrew Taylor’s investments in Georgia.
This lawfare drama of lawsuits by Jeff Davis against Republican opponents also has roots back to 2014 when the SC Department of Revenue (SCDOR) initiated a review of Davis and his wife’s (Olga Lisinska) Palmetto Kids First Scholarship Program, Inc. (PKF) due to reported improprieties in PKF’s operations, as well as issues involving Davis, who filed for bankruptcy in 2011.
Around 2013, the SC General Assembly passed a proviso establishing Educational Tax Credits for Exceptional Needs Children (ECENC) and providing tax-exempt charitable entities called SFOs, of which PKF was one. PKF was established on June 20, 2013, as a Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO) to raise money and distribute scholarships to children with “exceptional needs.”
SCDOR had multiple concerns, including bankruptcy, interim suspension and eventual revocation of a professional designation, litigation involving embezzlement, use of client funds for personal and business expenses, forgery, and pleading the 5th Amendment against self-incrimination during deposition testimony in a lawsuit. See Document: https://www.timesexaminer.com/pdfs/Palmetto-Kids-First-Department-of-Revenue-Audit.pdf.
After SCDOR provided a second chance by inviting PKF to work to bring its practices and procedures into compliance with federal and state law within the designated time frame of thirty days, SCDOR revoked PKF’s participation in the ECENC program due to his and his wife’s failure to comply within the designated time frame.
Due to PKF getting kicked out of the SC School Choice Program and his bitterness towards being held responsible for his misbehavior, he started this continued lawfare with frivolous lawsuits against those connected with other active SFOs that current Republicans were associated with and would assign anybody who spoke on these matters or against his political views as his nameless John Doe placeholders in his lawsuits – making them added defendants in these frivolous lawsuits.
The Chickens Have Come Home to Roost
Given Davis’s history of lawfare, his existing frivolous actions toward Republicans due to the consequences of his own bad behavior of both past and present, and his recent response to the current order against him in Newberry County, we have tagged the following Davis Chickens, that have come home to roost.
Roosting Chicken #1: Davis Narcissistic Claims of Lawfare
Jeff Davis is trying to spin with recent email blasts to his MYSCGOP followers that he is a victim of lawfare comparing himself with President-Elect Donald Trump. Given the fact that he is the plaintiff of ALL these frivolous lawsuits, as well as incorporating these fictitiously-named John Does in almost all of his lawsuits, we pretty much know who is using lawfare against Republicans and anyone who stands in his narcissistic way of getting what he wants and trying to compare himself with Donald Trump.
Having sued over 200 Republicans and fictitiously-named John Does, Davis’s past and present actions have proven that he is more aligned with Democrat and progressive liberals such as Alvin Bragg, Fani Willis, Jack Smith, Letitia James, etc., who have obviously used lawfare against MAGA and America First opponents.
Roosting Chicken #2: The Misuse of John Does in Court Filings
In normal court filings, "John Doe" is a placeholder name used to identify a defendant whose identity is unknown when the lawsuit is filed. This allows the plaintiff to proceed with their claim against an unidentified party while they attempt to discover the actual name through the discovery process. Using a placeholder like "John Doe" helps preserve the claim against an unknown individual and prevents the statute of limitations from expiring before their identity can be revealed.
By the constant pattern of the “John Doe” usage throughout most of Davis’s filings and the unnecessarily high number of John Does, it has become apparent that he is misusing this legal availability by using it as a political weapon against Republican opponents. He would add any other Republican who dares to speak out on his past and present behavior to the various lawsuits as a John Doe. This undoubtedly shows his lawfare behavior.
Roosting Chicken #3: Davis’s Claims Regarding His Ignorance
Davis claims that his recent diagnoses and treatments in 2024 and his misunderstanding of the effect of the various Orders should have sheltered him from what he calls a harsh, insensitive verdict. But Judge Hocker clarified that Davis appeared in court as a pro se litigant, “representing oneself.” If you're representing yourself, you admit you know the law and the requirements to perform your duty as a pro se litigant. So, one must conclude that there is no excuse for any misunderstanding of court order procedures or misuse of the courts for his lawfare against Republicans.
Roosting Chicken #4: Davis’s Claims Regarding His Health
As for the health excuse, Judge Hocker made it clear in the court document that his ruling is based on not just this year’s disregard for court procedures but the same pattern of his repeated and willful disobedience that has been going on for years prior to his recent ruling and prior to Davis’s health issue. This editorial has shown that his disruptive and repeated behavior has occurred for a decade in South Carolina, not to mention his abusive conduct in Georgia before his actions in South Carolina.
In recent emails, Davis claimed Judge Hocker was insensitive to his recent health issue. Davis said, “Judge Hocker stated on the record that he did not believe I had cancer.” He also attributed a lot of “assumptions” to Judge Hocker regarding his future health, which Davis has a habit of doing. But according to those who were there as witnesses, Judge Hocker did not deny Davis has cancer, but actually said, “As a cancer survivor, I empathize with you.” Davis said in his emails that he does not lie. Interesting.
Roosting Chicken #5: His Actions Regarding School Choice
Jeff Davis sees himself as the champion of School Choice. Yet, as stated by SCDOR, due to “bankruptcy, interim suspension and eventual revocation of a professional designation, litigation involving embezzlement, use of client funds for personal and business expenses, forgery, as well as pleading the 5th Amendment against self-incrimination during deposition testimony in a lawsuit,” it was required for SC General Assembly to reorganize the ECENC program in 2016. They rewrote it because they found someone taking advantage of it and using it wrongfully. It is unusual for a state general assembly to rewrite a program based on one individual.
So, while Davis is proclaiming himself as the champion of school choice to his devoted followers, he is already known and proven to take advantage of programs related to school choice for personal purposes. He is on public record for abusing a school choice program. According to public court filing documents in Greenville, this is why Davis makes School Choice his primary legislative agenda. He is seeking to return Exceptional SC to how it was so they can resume their PKF business despite being on record of abusing and mishandling school choice programs for personal gain.
The Roost
Davis stated that he planned to appeal the ruling and believed the decision to be politically motivated. Some involved have said that due to his exhaustive use of failed appeals, they believe he will be declined quickly. They believe the fine will be upheld, and the ten-day time frame resumes.
This particular case is not the only one that has publicly revealed his unruly behavior. Even though he is spinning as if this judge has it out for him, this spans many courts and government entities, not just in South Carolina but also in Georgia, where he practices law.
Davis has yet to file an appeal on the day this editorial goes public. It is yet to be determined if he will allow himself to go to jail for a grandstanding victimization act because he loves to play the victim card to rally his devoted, dwindling followers. But remember, he was the aggressor and the one who filed all these lawsuits, including this one that has backfired. He is not the victim of lawfare but the one perpetrating it.
It is a known fact that Davis has a habit of using lawfare against his victims, who he does not like or oppose politically, just like the Democrats and progressive liberals have done to President-Elect Donald Trump. What is interesting is all those he has sued are Republicans or organizations that are Republican-associated. Not one Democrat was a defendant.
Maybe that is why he invites Democrats to speak at Republican events about what is best for Greenville County during GCRP business meetings. He sounds like a Democrat in Republican clothing - another sign that his chickens are coming home to roost!
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12/4/24 UPDATE - Jeff Davis has filed an appeal. Click HERE to view Appeal Court Document.
