(A) No pawnbroker shall accept property from a pledgor or seller upon which there is evidence of ownership by a third party without first taking reasonable steps to ascertain its true ownership. Any such item accepted for pawn or purchased by a pawnbroker must be returned on demand without fee to the third party owner.
(B)(1) If property in the possession of a pawnbroker was leased to a pledgor or seller when the pledgor or seller pledged or sold the property to the pawnbroker, the pawnbroker shall return the property to the lessor if the lessor provides the pawnbroker with evidence that the property was the lessor's property and was leased to the pledgor or seller at the time the property was pledged or sold to the pawnbroker. For the purposes of this section, a lease or other written agreement containing a matching item description shall be sufficient evidence of the lessor's ownership of the property.
(2) If property in the possession of a pawnbroker was leased to a pledgor or seller when the pledgor or seller pledged or sold the property to the pawnbroker and the pawnbroker returns the property to the lessor, the pledgor or seller must pay the pawnbroker:
(a) the amount financed, the finance fee for the pawn transaction, and any costs associated with collecting those amounts and fees, if the property was pledged to the pawnbroker; or
(b) the amount that the pawnbroker paid the seller and any costs associated with collecting that amount if the property was sold to the pawnbroker.
(3) A pawnbroker is not liable to the pledgor or seller of property that is recovered by a lessor under item (1) for returning the property to a lessor.
HISTORY: 1988 Act No. 491, Section 2; 2016 Act No. 262 (H.4090), Section 13, eff June 9, 2016.
Effect of Amendment
2016 Act No. 262, Section 13, inserted paragraph designator (A); in (A), inserted "or seller" and "or purchased"; and added (B), relating to returns and pawnbroker remedies and liability exemption.
Structure South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 40 - Professions and Occupations
Section 40-39-10. Definitions.
Section 40-39-40. Unauthorized fees prohibited; violative pawn transaction ramifications.
Section 40-39-50. Bonding and insurance requirements; notice of potential threats to pawned goods.
Section 40-39-55. Periodic dollar amount adjustments.
Section 40-39-60. Actions on bond.
Section 40-39-80. Pawn tickets; content requirements; executions; special circumstances.
Section 40-39-90. Recordkeeping; electronic transfers; database.
Section 40-39-100. Charges on loans.
Section 40-39-110. Vesting of title to pledged property.
Section 40-39-130. Pawnbrokers to comply with federal law; enforcement powers of administrator.
Section 40-39-145. Hold orders.
Section 40-39-150. Administrative orders; penalties.