One Comment

  • Court of Appeals of South Carolina.
    Robert RORRER, Respondent,
    v.
    P.J. CLUB, INC., d/b/a Jamaica Joe’s, Appellant.
    No. 3409.
    Submitted Sept. 4, 2001.
    Decided Nov. 19, 2001.

    Spouse of gambler brought action against owner of video poker games seeking to recover wife’s excessive gambling losses. The Circuit Court, Horry County, Alison Renee Lee, J., entered judgment on $21,320 jury verdict for spouse, and trebled damages award pursuant to statute. Owner of games appealed. The Court of Appeals, Howard, J., held that: (1) rules of statutory construction, which required strict construction of penal statutes, did not increase burden of proof for recovery under statutes allowing recovery of excessive gambling losses; (2) treble damage award under statutes allowing recovery of excessive gambling losses was not punitive damages, and thus spouse of gambler only had to prove losses by preponderance of evidence standard; and (3) question of whether gambler sustained excessive losses playing video poker games was for jury.

    Affirmed.