Is Coercive Control Recognized in South Carolina?
Not yet. A bill that would have added coercive control to South Carolina's domestic violence law — known as “Mica's Law,” named for Mica Francis Miller — reached a subcommittee hearing in April 2026 but stalled in the Judiciary Committee without a full vote.
What S.702 would have done
Senate Bill 702 would have added coercive control to South Carolina's definition of domestic abuse, defining it as a pattern of behavior that interferes with a person's free will, seeks to destroy their mental and emotional state, and is designed to isolate and control them. It would also have added psychological, emotional, and financial abuse to the state's domestic violence definition, and would have criminalized coercive control as its own offense — a step further than most states, which have only added it as a custody or protective-order factor rather than a crime.
Why it stalled
The bill's own sponsor said in mid-2026 that it wouldn't pass the Senate that session, as redistricting debates took priority over the legislative calendar. He indicated the bill would need to restart the proposal process in the next session rather than resuming from where it left off.
Where South Carolina law stands right now
Without S.702, South Carolina's domestic violence definitions don't currently include a named coercive-control category — the same gap that exists in Texas, Georgia, and several other states covered here. A documented pattern of controlling behavior can still be relevant to a family court case through existing domestic violence and custody channels; there just isn't a dedicated statute naming it yet.
Worth watching for a refiled bill
The bill's sponsor has said he intends to bring it back in a future session. If South Carolina passes a coercive-control statute, this page will be updated with what it actually says.
This is general information about South Carolina law as currently written, not legal advice. Verity is not a law firm. Talk to a South Carolina family law attorney about how a pattern of controlling behavior applies to your specific case.
Document the pattern, whatever the legal hook
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