The South Carolina Bankruptcy Trustee Program is part of the United States Department of Justice and is located in Columbia, South Carolina. A U.S. Trustee is appointed to the 21 regions by the Attorney General. At the present time, W. Clarkson McDow is the U.S. Trustee for region 4. This region includes the South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.).

South Carolina Office of Trustee

      The Office of the Trustee (District of South Carolina) is part of Region 4 and located in the City of Columbia. Joseph F. Buzhardt, III is the Assistant United States Trustee for this district.

Administering of Bankruptcy Cases

      The Columbia regional district administers Chapters 7, 12 and 13 bankruptcy cases. These cases are further divided and administered into divisions, Charleston, Columbia and Spartanburg. Each county in South Carolina is served by one of these three divisions. Listed below are the names of the counties where the cases are administered.

Columbia Division

      The Columbia Division (U.S. Trustees District Office) administers Chapters 7, 12 and 13 cases for the counties of Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Chester, Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda and Sumter.

Charleston Division

      The Charleston Division administers Chapters 7, 12 and 13 cases for the following counties. They include Allendale, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper and Williamsburg counties.

Spartanburg Division

      Chapters 7, 12 and 13 cases are administered in the City of Spartanburg for the counties of Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, Union and York are administered by the Spartanburg Division.

Contact Information

      The Office of the United States Trustee of South Carolina and region 4 office is located in Columbia. The address is as follows; Office of the United States Trustee, 1835 Assembly Street, Suite 953, Columbia, South Carolina 29201 / Telephone: (803) 765-5250 / Fax: (803) 765-5260.

      Listed below is other important contact information which includes names (in alphabetical order), titles and telephone numbers.

- Trustees - Telephone Number   W. Clarkson McDow. - United States Trustee (Region 4) (803) 765-5235   Joseph F. Buzhardt - Assistant U.S. Trustee (District of South Carolina) (803) 765-5220   - Administrative Staff - Telephone Number Linda Barr - Trial Attorney (803) 765-5219 Elisabetta G. Gasparini Trial Attorney (803) 765-5227 Andrea W. Hill - Legal Clerk (803) 765-5226 Peter N. Sergakis - Analyst (803) 765-5224 Julie C. Smoak - Analyst (803) 765-5221 Timothy J. Stack - Trial Attorney (803) 765-5218

Chapter 7 Trustees

      The following persons are Chapter 7 Trustees for cases in the District of South Carolina. Listed are their names, and telephone numbers.

Name / Trustee City / Town Telephone   Robert Anderson Columbia (803)252-8600   Kevin Campbell Mt. Pleasant (843)884-6874   John Fort Drayton, SC (864)573-5311   W. Ryan Hovis Rock Hill (803)366-1916   Randy Skinner Greenville (864)232-2007   Michelle Vieira Myrtle Beach (843)497-9800

Chapter 12 Trustees

      Cases that are Chapter 12 bankruptcy in South Carolina are assigned a trustee on a case by case basis. Contact the Trustee's office at (803) 765-5250 for inquiries.

Chapter 13 Trustees

      The following attorneys are Chapter 13 Trustees for the Court. Listed is their name, location and telephone number.

Name / Trustee City / Town Telephone   Joy Goodwin Columbia (803)779-5180   Gretchen Holland Greenville (864) 242-0314   William Stephenson Columbia (803)744-0200   James Wyman Mt. Pleasant (843)388-9844

341 Meeting Room Locations

     The 341(a) Meetings (meeting of the creditors) are located in three different locations. Contact the trustee offices in Columbia for more information.

Location / 341 Meeting Address   Columbia: Office of the United States Trustee 1835 Assembly St. Room 557 Columbia, SC 29201   Charleston: 145 King Street Room 225 Charleston, SC 29401   Spartanburg: Donald S. Russell Courthouse and United States Courthouse 201 Magnolia St. Spartanburg, SC 29306

Selecting an Attorney

      To find information about an attorney in your location please select one of the towns or cities. Each attorney will have information on their education background, address and contact number. Read "Bankruptcy Specialist", South Carolina Certified Specialist as well as "Selecting an Attorney" before your start your search.

341 Meetings and Trustee Articles

The Bankruptcy Trustee Chapter 11 Trustee 341 Creditors Meeting Chapter 11 Creditors Committee Meeting of Creditors in Chapter 13

Written by Jack Garchar