Jury Duty And Your Job
S.C. Code 41-1-70 — no firing or demotion for serving on a jury or answering a subpoena, and up to a year's pay in damages
No firing or demotion for serving. An employer who dismisses or demotes an employee because the employee complies with a valid subpoena to testify in a court or administrative proceeding, or serves on a jury, may be sued in circuit court for the damages it caused.
Damages for a dismissal are limited to one year's salary, or fifty-two weeks of wages on a forty-hour week at the rate the employee was earning when the subpoena came. Damages for a demotion are limited to the difference in pay for one year.
The section does not require an employer to pay wages for the time spent in court. A particular firing is a question for a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- S.C. Code 41-1-70 — Liability of employer for dismissal or demotion of employee who complies with subpoena or serves on jury
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Carolina attorney.