Judge appointed 'referee' in S.C. lawsuit against Carnival

in a lawsuit filed in June 2011 against Carnival Cruise Lines.

It remanded the case to Judge Clifton Newman, a spokeswoman for the high court said. A referee judge typically collects testimony in a litigation and makes recommendations to the court.

Newman is slated to begin work on the case later this month, although a firm date could not immediately be confirmed.

The state supreme court took jurisdiction over the Carnival lawsuit in early 2012. The suit, filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of four citizen groups, charges that the 2,000-passenger Carnival Fantasy violates zoning ordinances, including height and environmental regulations, noise limits and accommodations rules.

Additionally, the suit charges that the Fantasy creates a public nuisance on turnaround days, when passengers leaving and arriving at the pier clog traffic and cause street closures.

The city of Charleston and the South Carolina State Ports Authority, both of which support the continued operation of the Carnival Fantasy, late last year attached themselves as defendants in the lawsuit. The city and the authority asked the state supreme court to take jurisdiction over the case.

The Preservation Society of Charleston, the Historic Ansonborough Neighborhood Association, the Charlestowne Neighborhood Association and the Coastal Conservation League are plaintiffs in the suit.

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