COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Rep. Marvin Pendarvis has resigned from the state House of Representatives. He is facing a civil lawsuit and a law enforcement investigation.
Pendarvis sent his resignation letter to South Carolina House Speaker Murrell Smith this week. He called serving in the House the "honor of his life" but said he could no longer be effective in that body.
"Because of my respect for this body and for the residents of my district, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my seat," he wrote. "The residents of District 113 deserve a representative who can devote full time to their needs, and I cannot do that at this time."
Pendarvis is a lawyer. In April, a former client, Adrian Lewis, filed suit against him accusing him of malpractice. In the suit, Lewis claimed Pendarvis forged his signature to settle a lawsuit without his permission.
The dispute stemmed from Lewis suing the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office over an arrest in 2021. According to the lawsuit, while representing Lewis, Pendarvis told him his case was worth up to $325,000 but settled it for $10,000 without Lewis knowing.
The lawsuit said Pendarvis ignored Lewis' questions about the case for weeks. Then, once Lewis learned of the settlement, the suit claimed Pendarvis offered him $75,000 cash out of his trust fund for clients when Lewis threatened to sue.
According to the filing, Pendarvis then sent Lewis several text messages asking him not to sue.
After the suit became public, First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to investigate. That investigation is ongoing and no criminal charges have been filed.
Pendarvis's law license was suspended in May by the South Carolina Supreme Court. The court did not provide a specific reason for the suspension.
Pendarvis, who represents a district near Charleston, had been running for a fifth term in office and had no opposition in November. A special election will now have to take place to fill his seat.