(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of federal or state law, a financial institution, as defined in § 63-17-2310(A)(2), is not liable to a person for disclosure of information to the Department of Social Services, its designee, or the department’s or designee’s employees under § 63-17-2320 for encumbering or surrendering any deposits, credits, or other personal property in response to a notice of lien or levy by the department, or its designee, or for any other action taken in good faith to comply with the requirements of §§ 63-17-2310 and 63-17-2320.

(B) Upon obtaining a financial record of an individual from a financial institution pursuant to §§ 63-17-2310 and 63-17-2320, the department, its designee, or the department’s or designee’s employees may disclose the financial record only for the purpose of, and to the extent necessary in, establishing, modifying, or enforcing a child support obligation of the individual.

Ask a divorce law question, get an answer ASAP!
Thousands of highly rated, verified divorce lawyers.
Specialties include: Family Law, Custody, Divorce, Child Support, Child Protection, Alimony, and more.
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 63-17-2330

  • Child: means a person under the age of eighteen. See South Carolina Code 63-1-40
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.

(C) If the department, its designee, or the department’s or designee’s employees knowingly or by reason of negligence disclose a financial record of an individual in violation of subsection (B), the individual whose records were disclosed may bring a civil action for damages against the department, its designee, or the department’s or designee’s employees in a district court of the United States.

(D) No liability arises under subsection (C) with respect to any disclosure which results from a good faith but erroneous interpretation of subsection (B).

(E) In an action brought under subsection (C), upon a finding of liability on the part of the defendant, the defendant is liable to the plaintiff in an amount equal to the sum of:

(1) the greater of:

(a) one thousand dollars for each act of unauthorized disclosure of a financial record with respect to which the defendant is found liable; or

(b) the sum of:

(i) the actual damages sustained by the plaintiff as a result of the unauthorized disclosure; and

(ii) in the case of a wilful disclosure or a disclosure which is the result of gross negligence, punitive damages; and

(2) the costs, including attorney fees, of the action.