Vernell's Complaint Answered

According to the Richland County Fifth Judicial Circuit Public Index, on March 5th* (Thursday) an Answer was filed to Vernell Butler's Complaint against four homeowners in The Summit. The four homeowners are Brenda Bryant, Thomas Lummel (known as Jeff), Linda Potter, and Angelo Turley-Moore.

Vernell is a former Board Member and past Treasurer of the HOA. He applied to run for the Board and was selected by the Nominating Committee, which was chaired by Tanisha Holmes, Board Vice-President. Vernell, along with others, was slated as a candidate in the November 18, 2025 Board election. 

Although he was nominated, he was not elected. Only one of the five candidates of the Nominating Committee was elected; that was Linda Potter. Four nominees of the Nominating Committee were not elected.

Voting Members elected three good applicants who had not been nominated by the Nominating Committee as candidates. The Nominating Committee had no good reason to deny those three. Brenda Bryant (incumbent, Jeff Lummel, and Angelo Turley-Moore were elected by write-in votes! Don't miss the message there!

When Vernell filed his Complaint in Blythewood Magistrate's Court, he named Brenda Bryant, Thomas Lummel (Jeff), Linda Potter, and Angelo Turley-Moore as Defendants. Is there a coincidence here?

Why would he choose the four people who got elected to the Board? Two of them weren't even on the Board at the time of the election; the two who were on the Board had nothing to do with the election.

Was Vernell allowed to attend or vote at the Board election on November 18? Or did Donnie Gantt attend and vote? Gantt is the "recognized" Voting Member for Summit Hills V.

Before the election Vernell began claiming he was an Alternate Neighborhood Representative for Summit Hills V. He attended meetings of the Voting Members. He would have been a legitimate Alternate only if Summit Hills V had held a Neighborhood Meeting with a quorum present after Vernell resigned abruptly from the Board in November 2023 (when he was not re-elected as Treasurer) and had elected him to its Neighborhood Committee. His name never appeared in the list of Voting Members and Alternates published in the Summit Scoop or on the HOA's website between November 2023 and November 2025.

The Answer filed on March 9* by the four Defendants was professionally prepared by a lawyer, in contrast to Vernell's Complaint. Vernell filed his Complaint pro se; i.e., representing himself.

The Defendants' Answer denies each and every allegation in Vernell's Complaint that is not specifically admitted. (They admit they are residents of Richland County.)

As their Sixth Defense, "Defendants allege, upon information and belief, that any damage sustained by Plaintiff was due to and caused by the sole and negligent acts or omissions of Plaintiff, or some person or entity other than Defendants." (Vernell is the Plaintiff.)

As the Eighth Defense, "Plaintiff is barred from recovery against Defendants under the doctrine of unclean hands." **

Defendants ask the Court "for the costs of defending this action". In other words, if granted, Vernell will have to pay for the Defendants' lawyer, who is doing a great job.

Defendants also filed a Motion to Dismiss because "the Complaint fails to state a cause of action against the Defendants upon which relief may be granted."

Stay tuned for more exciting developments in this case.

* The Answer and the Motion to Dismiss are date-stamped March 9, 2026.

** What is the "doctrine of unclean hands"? From Google AI:

"The doctrine of unclean hands is an equitable defense preventing a party from obtaining legal relief if they engaged in unfair, unethical, or illegal conduct (bad faith) directly related to the matter in dispute. Derived from the maxim "he who comes into Equity must come with clean hands," it stops wrongdoers from benefiting from their own misconduct. [Source: Legal Information Institute]"