S.C. E-Filing Attorney Guide: ARG-25-Adding Additional Parties

ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 1

Reference Guide Contents:

 Overview................................................................................................................... 1

 Third Party Plaintiffs and Defendants......................................................................... 2

 Intervenors................................................................................................................. 6

 Other Case Parties.................................................................................................. 10

 New and Co-Counsel............................................................................................... 14

Overview

Typically, case parties and the attorneys for the parties—with the exception of attorneys for

defendants—are entered at the time a case is initiated. The Case Initiation screen provides tabs for the

entry of plaintiffs (or appellants or transferors) and defendants (or respondents or transferees). In a few

situations, there are provisions in the E-Filing system for the entry of additional parties after the case

has been initiated. These parties include third party plaintiffs and defendants (not already named on the

case), and intervenors. In October 2017, System changes were made to allow and "other" parties such

as insurance companies in underinsured (UIM) and uninsured (UM) motorist situations, or a third party

bidder in a foreclosure action when a writ of assistance is filed to add a party to file on behalf of. Co-Counsel and Guardians ad Litem may also be added by the E-Filer. New parties introduced into the

case will be approved or rejected by the Clerk of Court. You may only add a party that you

represent, such as, for instance, a UIM carrier that needs to appear and answer in a case.

You may NOT add parties where Court approval is required. Examples of action types that may result

in the addition of parties to the case, and which you may not use the Add A Party function to add a new

case party, include, but are not limited to:

 Amended Summons and Complaint

 Motion/Substitute Parties

 Motion/Add a Party

The Clerk of Court is solely responsible for the entry of parties such as Receivers, Witnesses,

Mediators, Arbitrators, Special Referees, and Court Reporters.

Improperly indicating that a new party should be added to a case may result in the rejection of

your submission.

If you are filing a pleading that seeks to add a new party to a case, the best practice is to include the

information in the Special Filing Instructions for the Clerk on the Review and Approve Filing page to

draw attention to this matter.

ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

Third Party Plaintiffs and Defendants

This section of the guide will demonstrate the correct procedure to file a document that adds a Third

Party Defendant to a case in the E-Filing system. Please note that neither the E-Filing system nor CMS

recognize fourth, fifth, or subsequent parties to a case. All additional parties are treated as "Third

Parties" and should generally be identified as defendants.

You may add third party defendants to a case through the use of either of two filings: (1)

Summons/Third Party Summons and (2) Complaint or Answer/Answer and Third Party Summons and

Complaint.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

1. On the Add a Document screen, choose the Action Type of Filing.

2. Using the Action dropdown, select the Third Party action description that best describes the

document you are filing.

3. Click Choose File to locate and select your saved .pdf document.

4. Click Add.

5. On the Case Participants page, click Add a Defendant. The Add a Party window will open.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

6. Select the Organization or Person radio button.

7. Optional, depending on whether Company or Person was selected, enter a First Name.

8. Enter the Last or Business Name.

9. Optional, add a Doing Business As or Also Known As name for your third party.

10. Click Next.

11. Back on the Case Participants page, you may continue to add additional Third Party Defendants

as described above, or click Next to return to the Add a Document page.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

12. Using the On Behalf of dropdown, select the correct parties and click Add.

13. Click Next when you have finished adding documents to this submission. You will be advanced

to the Review and Submit Filing page.

Intervenors

This section will explain the process of filing a Motion to Intervene.

To access a case for the first time:

1. Enter the Case Number.

2. Select the appropriate County from the County dropdown.

3. Click E-File.

This process will direct you to the Add a Document page.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

4. On the Add a Document screen, choose the Action Type of Motion.

5. Using the Action dropdown, select Motion/Intervene.

6. Click Choose File to locate and select your saved .pdf document.

7. Click Add. An Intervenor page will open.

8. On the Intervenor page, select Add a Plaintiff, Add a Defendant, or Add Other Parties,

depending upon how the intervening party plans to proceed in the case. The Add a Party

page will be displayed.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

9. Select the Company or Person radio button.

10. Optional, depending on whether Company or Person was selected, enter a First Name.

11. Enter the Last or Business Name.

12. Optionally, add a Doing Business As or Also Known As name for your third party.

13. Click Next to return to the Intervenor page.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

14. If a hearing is needed, click the Motion, Hearing Requested radio button. A section for

Hearing Information will open.

15. Enter the Nature of Motion.

16. Enter the Estimated Time Needed (Hours and/or Minutes).

17. Click Next.

18. Using the On Behalf of dropdown, select the parties on whose behalf you are intervening, and

click Add.

19. To submit your filing to the court, click Next. You will be advanced to the Review and Approve

Filing page. Continue through the payment process, as for any other motion.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

Other Case Parties

This section will explain the process of filing to a case and adding an "other" case party, such as an

insurance company or a third party bidder.

To access a case for the first time:

1. Enter the Case Number.

2. Select the appropriate County from the County dropdown.

3. Click E-File.

This process will direct you to the Add a Document page.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

4. On the Add a Document screen, choose the Action Type of Filing.

5. Using the Action dropdown, select the Add Party to Case.

6. Note that the Choose File feature is protected. No document will be attached to this filing.

7. Click Add. A Select Party page will open.

8. On the Select Party page, select Add Other Parties. The Add a Party page will be displayed.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

9. Select the Organization or Person radio button.

10. Optional, depending on whether Company or Person was selected, enter a First Name.

11. Enter the Last or Business Name.

12. Optionally, add a Doing Business As or Also Known As name for your third party.

13. Click Next to return to the Select Party page.

14. Observe the red warning message: You must file a pleading together with the Add a Party

Action, although that document will not attach directly to the Add a Party action. If you neglect to

file an additional pleading, the Clerk of Court may reject your filing.

15. You may continue to add additional parties if necessary. When all parties have been added,

click Next.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

16. Using the On Behalf of dropdown, select the party Or parties on whose behalf you are filing,

and click Add.

17. On the Add a Document screen, choose the Action Type of Filing.

18. Using the Action dropdown, select the action description that best describes the document

you are filing.

19. Click Choose File to locate and select your saved .pdf document.

20. Click Add.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

21. Using the On Behalf of dropdown, select the party Or parties on whose behalf you are filing,

and click Add.

22. You may continue to add additional documents if necessary. When all documents have been

included, click Next. You will be advanced to the Review and Approve Filing page. Continue

through the payment process, if payment is required.

New and Co-Counsel

This section will explain the process of adding oneself as co-counsel, or as new counsel. The E-filing

system allows an attorney to add other attorneys as co-counsel when a case is filed, when entering a

Notice of Appearance, or filing a Motion to Intervene. However, new counsel or new (additional) co-counsel need to introduce themselves into the case by filing a Notice of Appearance.

To access a case for the first time:

1. Enter the Case Number.

2. Select the appropriate County from the County dropdown.

3. Click E-File.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

This process will direct you to the Add a Document page.

On the Add a Document Page:

4. Select the Action Type of Filing.

5. Select the Action of Notice/Notice of Appearance.

6. Click Add. The Notice of Appearance page will display.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

By default, the E-filing system assumes that attorneys entering a Notice of Appearance will be counsel

for defendants.

7. If you are entering Notice of Appearance for a defendant, click the Check box to the left of the

name of the defendant or defendants you will be representing.

8. Click Next to return to the Add a Document page.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

9. If you are adding yourself as a Plaintiff's attorney, Guardian ad Litem for a Plaintiff or Guardian

ad Litem for a Defendant, you will first need to click the Last Name hyperlink for your name.

This opens an Edit Attorney dialogue box.

10. In the dropdown labeled Type, select Plaintiff Attorney, Guardian ad Litem for Plaintiff, or

Guardian ad Litem for Defendant as applicable to the situation.

11. Click Save. This changes you from a Defendant Attorney to a Plaintiff Attorney or a Guardian ad

Litem.

12. If you are a Plaintiff's Attorney or a Guardian ad Litem for a plaintiff or plaintiffs, click the Check

box to the left of the name of the plaintiff or plaintiffs you will be representing. If you are a

Guardian ad Litem for a defendant or defendants, click the Check box to the left of the name of

the defendant or defendants you will be representing.

13. Click Next to save the information and return to the Add a Document page.

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ARG-25: Adding Additional Parties

Attorney Reference Guide

14. On the Add a Document page, select the Parties you are filing On behalf of from the dropdown.

Because you connected yourself to your parties on the Notice of Appearance page, selecting

All My Parties in the dropdown will correctly identify all your parties when multiple parties are

represented.

15. Click Add to add the names of all your parties.

16. Click Next to continue to the Review and Approve Filings page, and submit your filing.

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