On Thursday, March 19, 2026, The Post and Courier reported that the South Carolina Supreme Court reprimanded Curtis G. Clark, a former foreclosure judge in Greenwood County, following revelations that he allowed his wife and children to purchase numerous properties at auctions he presided over.
The reprimand stems from an investigation triggered by a 2022 Post and Courier Uncovered report, in collaboration with The Index-Journal of Greenwood, which detailed Clark’s actions.
The Supreme Court’s opinion, issued on March 18, stated that Clark and the Office of Disciplinary Counsel reached an agreement wherein Clark admitted to the misconduct and agreed to never seek judicial office again in South Carolina. The court issued a public reprimand, the maximum sanction possible given Clark’s departure from the bench.
Clark’s judicial career included roles as a special referee and master-in-equity in Abbeville County, and as a probate court judge and special referee in Greenwood County, beginning in 1987. In foreclosure cases, judges hold the authority to remove delinquent borrowers from their homes and sell properties to settle outstanding debts.
The 2022 Uncovered report revealed that Clark oversaw auctions where more than three dozen properties were sold to his wife and adult children. In one instance, family members later transferred land into Clark’s name, making him the owner of 33 acres he had previously ordered foreclosed.
The Supreme Court cited the Uncovered report and then-Chief Justice Donald Beatty’s subsequent decision to bar Clark from overseeing future foreclosure auctions. However, the court’s investigation took four years to conclude. The court found that Clark’s actions created a clear appearance of impropriety, noting that he had previously provided incomplete information to a judicial screening committee regarding his involvement in the auctions.
In an affidavit submitted to the court, Clark highlighted his 40 years of service as a probate judge, master-in-equity, and special referee, as well as his participation on the state’s Probate Judges Advisory Committee and his role as editor of the South Carolina Foreclosure Law Manual. Clark expressed remorse and stated that neither he nor his family members acted on any nonpublic information related to the auctions. He also informed the court of his plans to retire.
The Post and Courier’s initial report quoted legal observers who raised concerns that the Clark family’s involvement in the sales undermined the judiciary’s core principles. Judges are expected to avoid any conduct that could create even the appearance of impropriety, an especially high standard designed to maintain public trust in the fairness of the court system.
Jan Jacobowitz, past president of the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, stated that Clark’s actions constituted, at a minimum, the appearance of impropriety.
Source: The Post and Courier
