South Carolina Code 38-63-90. Attorneys’ fees authorized
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Terms Used In South Carolina Code 38-63-90
- Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- insurance: includes annuities. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
- Insurer: includes a corporation, fraternal organization, burial association, other association, partnership, society, order, individual, or aggregation of individuals engaging or proposing or attempting to engage as principals in any kind of insurance or surety business, including the exchanging of reciprocal or interinsurance contracts between individuals, partnerships, and corporations. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
- Policy: means a contract of insurance. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
When a life insurer refuses to pay a claim on a life insurance policy within thirty days after a demand has been made by the beneficiary of the policy or contract, and a finding on suit of the contract made by the trial judge that the refusal was without reasonable cause or in bad faith, the insurer is liable to pay the beneficiary, in addition to any sum or any amount otherwise recoverable, all reasonable attorneys’ fees for the prosecution of the case. The amount of reasonable attorneys’ fees must be determined by the trial judge and the amount added to the judgment. If attorneys’ fees are allowed and, on appeal by the defendant, the judgment is affirmed, the Supreme Court or the court of appeals shall allow to the respondent an additional sum as the court adjudged reasonable as attorneys’ fees of the respondent on the appeal.