BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – The South Carolina Supreme Court has suspended a Berkeley County magistrate judge for failing to show up to work.
In a court order written by Chief Justice Donald W. Beatty, Ava E. Bryant has failed to report for duty at Berkeley County magistrate court for at least 29 days within the last six months.
The order states that Bryant devised and implemented a work scheduling scheme that deceptively allowed her to take multiple unauthorized days off during the work week while appearing to be at work.
She directed the clerks in her office not to schedule hearings for her to preside over on numerous days each month, and would not report to her office on those days, despite her status as a full-time magistrate judge, the order states.
“This is in direct contravention of my ‘Order re: Hours of Full- and Part-Time Magistrates Statewide’ dated November 8, 2021,” Beatty wrote. “Magistrate Bryant was fully aware of this order and devised the deceptive work schedule to circumvent the requirement to work the hours for which she was being paid. This dereliction of duty is an unacceptable affront to the fair administration of justice and the courts.”
Bryant is suspended without pay for 90 days, according to the order.
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