Friday, June 15, 2012

Judge assigned to Carnival Fantasy suit in S.C.

By Donna TunneyThe South Carolina Supreme Court has appointed a Circuit Court judge to serve as a "special referee" in a lawsuit against Carnival Cruise Lines' homeporting of the Carnival Fantasy in Charleston Harbor.

A referee judge typically collects testimony in a litigation and makes recommendations to the court. A spokeswoman for the high court said it assigned the case to Judge Clifton Newman. He is slated to begin work on the case later this month, although a firm date could not immediately be confirmed.

The supreme court took jurisdiction over the Carnival lawsuit early this year. The suit, filed a year ago by the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of four citizen groups, charges that the 2,000-passenger Carnival Fantasy violates certain local 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 ship, late last year attached themselves as defendants in the case. The city and the authority asked the 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. This page is protected by Copyright laws. Do Not Copy. Purchase Reprint email the editors email a friend small medium large Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus

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