Ex parte Littlefield, 540 S.E.2d 81 (S.C. 2000)

Cases | Ex parte Littlefield, 540 S.E.2d 81 (S.C. 2000) | 2018

The defendant pled guilty to white-collar crimes committed against multiple victims. Though Petitioners were victims of the defendant, their cases were not contained within the guilty plea resolution. The petitioners moved to set aside the guilty plea on the basis that they were not notified of the plea prior to the hearing. The trial court did not grant relief. The petitioners sought a writ of mandamus from the Supreme Court of South Carolina, in order to: (1) order the trial court to void the prior plea; and (2) order the solicitor to include the petitioners in the new plea bargaining process. The court denied the petitioners’ motion. The petitioners were not victims with the rights to notice and attendance at the plea bargain, as their cases were not contained within the guilty plea resolution. The petitioners did not retain their legal rights as victims after the solicitor’s office declined to prosecute their cases. A writ of mandamus under the Victims’ Bill of Rights is reserved to enforce its provisions, rather than to re-open a case when the victim is unhappy with its outcome.