Objectors brought action against cruise ship operator alleging nuisance and zoning claims and seeking an injunction. State Ports Authority and city intervened as defendants. Defendants petitioned the Supreme Court to take the case in its original jurisdiction. The Supreme Court granted the petition and transferred the case to itself.
The Supreme Court of South Carolina held that:
- Objectors lacked standing to bring nuisance and zoning claims against cruise ship operator, and
- Supreme Court would not apply the public importance exception to the requirement of standing.
Associations of neighbors and conservationists lacked standing to bring nuisance and zoning claims against cruise ship operator for allegedly violating city’s zoning, noise, height, and signage ordinances in the operation of a cruise ship at a pier terminal, since neither the associations nor their members suffered a concrete, particularized harm to a legally protected interest, even if the operator’s alleged violations caused the neighborhood to suffer traffic congestion, pollution, noises, and obstructed views.