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Berg v. Bryant (and Bryant's Third-Party Complaint against Mace)

Civil suit filed May 29, 2025 by Alexis Berg against Patrick Bryant and others; Bryant impleaded Rep. Nancy Mace as Third-Party Defendant. The public docket includes a November 17, 2025 order ending pseudonym use, a gag order, and a temporary restraining order.

No. 2025-CP-10-03124Court: Charleston County Court of Common Pleas (Ninth Judicial Circuit), before Judge Donald B. HockerFiled: Status: Pending; subject of federal removal proceedings (see Mace Federal Removal)Parties: Plaintiff: Alexis Berg (originally filed as 'Jane Doe'; ordered identified by her true name Nov. 17, 2025) · Defendants: Patrick Bryant; John Osborne; Eric Bowman; Pommer Group, LLC; Assignment Desk Works, LLC; GLT2, LLC · Third-Party Plaintiff: Patrick Bryant · Third-Party Defendants: Nancy Ruth Mace; Melissa Britton

Alexis Berg filed this civil action on May 29, 2025, and the case was initially captioned under the pseudonym "Jane Doe" while her motion to proceed anonymously was pending. An Amended Summons and Complaint followed on June 10, 2025. On November 17, 2025, the court denied that motion and ordered her identified by her true name (see below). Defendants named by Berg include Patrick Bryant and several associated individuals and entities.

On November 6, 2025, Bryant filed a Third-Party Complaint in the same action, impleading Rep. Nancy Mace and Melissa Britton as Third-Party Defendants. Bryant was represented by Saxton & Stump, LLC (counsel Rene Stuhr Dukes). Mace accepted service of the Third-Party Complaint on November 20, 2025, and filed her Answer to the Third-Party Complaint on December 19, 2025. Her Answer asserted, among other defenses, the Speech or Debate Clause of the United States Constitution, the Federal Tort Claims Act, and Westfall Act preemption.

All allegations in any pleading are the contentions of the filing party and are not findings of fact. Where a party has denied an allegation, that denial is part of the record. Mace has denied Bryant's allegations.

Assigned to Judge Hocker by the Supreme Court

This case is one of six related Charleston County matters placed under the Honorable Donald B. Hocker by a single order of the Supreme Court of South Carolina, signed by Chief Justice John W. Kittredge on August 27, 2025 and e-filed September 2, 2025. Captioned in the order under the plaintiff's pseudonym as "Jane Doe v. Patrick Bryant, John Osborne, Eric Bowman, and Pommer Group, LLC," this matter (Case No. 2025-CP-10-03124) was among the cases over which the order vested Judge Hocker with "exclusive jurisdiction to hear and dispose of." See the Judge Hocker profile for the full order and the list of all six consolidated matters.

De-anonymization Order (November 17, 2025)

On November 17, 2025, Judge Hocker entered an order that ended the use of pseudonyms in the case. The order denied the plaintiff's motion to proceed under a pseudonym and granted defendant Bryant's motion to identify the "Jane Doe Witness," finding that the identities of both the plaintiff and the witness "are already known to all Parties and the public such that neither Plaintiff nor Jane Doe Witness have any privacy interest to preserve." From the date of the order, all future filings were required to use the parties' true and correct names. The order was e-filed at 11:05 a.m. on November 17, 2025.

Reporting on the ruling and the same-day TRO motion: ABC News 4 and FITSNews. See the dispatch: No More Jane Does: the de-anonymization order.

Page 1 of Judge Hocker's November 17, 2025 order in Berg v. Bryant ending pseudonym use, Case No. 2025-CP-10-03124 Page 1 of the de-anonymization order, Case No. 2025-CP-10-03124, entered November 17, 2025. The court denied the pseudonym motion and granted the motion to identify.

Gag Order (November 26, 2025)

Judge Hocker issued a Gag Order on November 26, 2025, sua sponte, that is, on the court's own initiative, not in response to a pending motion. The order enjoined all parties, their agents, representatives, and attorneys from making or publishing any comment about any aspect of the case, any party, any attorney, or any person connected to the case through any form of communication, other than attorney-client communications. The order was limited in duration to approximately three weeks pending a hearing, but could be extended.

Mace subsequently moved to vacate the Gag Order (December 29, 2025), arguing that it violated her First Amendment rights and, as to her congressional statements, the Speech or Debate Clause.

Temporary Restraining Order (December 9, 2025)

A Temporary Restraining Order was entered on December 9, 2025. That filing is on the public docket as Case No. 2025-CP-10-03124.

Supplemental Gag Order (January 13, 2026)

A Supplemental Gag Order was entered on January 13, 2026.

Motion for Contempt (January 12, 2026)

On January 12, 2026, Bryant filed a Motion for Order to Show Cause / Motion for Civil Contempt in the state-court action.

Federal Removal

On January 29, 2026, Mace filed a pro se Notice of Removal to federal court. See the separate Mace Federal Removal case page for the federal docket.

Third-Party Neutral over the shared Google Drive (June 2026)

The discovery fight over the more than 11,000 electronic files in "Mace's Google Drive" spans this case and the related Assignment Desk Works, LLC v. Alexis Berg (Case No. 2025-CP-10-2671). On June 9, 2026, Judge Hocker entered an Order Regarding Third-Party Neutral providing that documents already produced from the Drive "in this case and in Jane Doe v. Patrick Bryant 2025-CP-10-3124 shall remain in production in both matters," with no claw-back, and routing the unproduced materials to a neutral for a confidential, Attorney's Eyes Only review. On June 16, 2026, the court appointed former Circuit Court judge Kristi Harrington as that neutral. Neither order made any finding on privilege, admissibility, or ownership, and both note that Mace objected. See the dispatch Court appoints former Judge Kristi Harrington as third-party neutral, which reproduces both orders.

The filings on the record

The signature documents in this case are public court records. The Gag Order and Mace's sworn Answer are reproduced below; every primary filing hosted on Maceopedia is linked beneath.

Page 1 of the November 26, 2025 Gag Order in Berg v. Bryant, naming Nancy Ruth Mace and Melissa Britton as third-party defendants and stating the court issues the order sua sponte Page 1 of the Gag Order, signed by Judge Donald B. Hocker sua sponte on November 26, 2025.

Page 1 of Nancy Mace's Answer to Bryant's Third-Party Complaint, filed December 19, 2025 Page 1 of Mace's Answer to Bryant's Third-Party Complaint, filed December 19, 2025.

The operative page of the Supreme Court of South Carolina order vesting Judge Donald B. Hocker with exclusive jurisdiction over this and five related cases, signed by Chief Justice John W. Kittredge, August 27, 2025 The Supreme Court of South Carolina order vesting Judge Hocker with exclusive jurisdiction over this and five related cases, signed by Chief Justice John W. Kittredge, August 27, 2025.

Documents hosted here (public court records):

Selected Docket Entries

The table below is a representative selection of substantive filings on the public docket; it does not include every administrative NEF or scheduling entry.

| Date | Filing | Filed by | |------|--------|----------| | 2025-05-29 | Summons & Complaint + Motion to Proceed Under Pseudonym | Plaintiff Berg | | 2025-06-10 | Amended Summons and Complaint | Plaintiff Berg | | 2025-07-11 | Motion to Dismiss | Defendant | | 2025-07-22 | Order Denying Motion to Dismiss Claims Against Defendant; Order Denying Motion for Extension of Time to Respond | Court | | 2025-08-04 | Multiple motions (Admit General Sessions Evidence; Intervene; Extension) | Various | | 2025-09-02 | Order of the Supreme Court of S.C. placing this and five related cases under Judge Hocker (signed Aug. 27, 2025) | Court (Chief Justice Kittredge) | | 2025-10-06 | Protective Order entered; Order Denying GLT2 Motion to Dismiss | Court | | 2025-11-05 | Answer to Amended Complaint; Notice of Partial Motion to Dismiss Amended Complaint; Notice of Motion to Strike | Defendant Bryant | | 2025-11-06 | Third-Party Summons to Nancy Ruth Mace; Third-Party Summons to Melissa Britton | Third-Party Plaintiff Bryant | | 2025-11-17 | Order denying Plaintiff's motion to proceed under pseudonym and granting Defendant Bryant's motion to identify "Jane Doe Witness." All future filings must use parties' true names. Bryant's Motion for Temporary Restraining Order also filed. | Court / Bryant | | 2025-11-20 | Acceptance of Service on Nancy Ruth Mace (Third-Party Defendant) | Bryant / Court | | 2025-11-26 | Gag Order signed by Judge Hocker, sua sponte | Court | | 2025-12-04 | Motion to Compel Compliance with Subpoenas; Motion to Dismiss with Request for Sanctions | Parties | | 2025-12-09 | Amended Counterclaims & Third-Party Complaint filed; Temporary Restraining Order entered | Bryant / Court | | 2025-12-19 | Third-Party Answer to Third-Party Complaint (Mace) | Third-Party Defendant Mace | | 2025-12-22 | Response and Opposition to Motion for a Confidentiality Order (with Exhibits A-F) | Defendant/Third-Party Plaintiff Bryant (Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani) | | 2025-12-29 | Mace's Motion to Vacate Gag Order; Motions to Dismiss filed | Mace / Parties | | 2026-01-12 | Motion for Order to Show Cause / Motion for Civil Contempt | Third-Party Plaintiff Bryant | | 2026-01-13 | Supplemental Gag Order | Court | | 2026-01-15 | Motion for Sanctions; Amended Answer to Third-Party Amended Complaint | Parties | | 2026-01-21 | Notice of Removal (state court notice) | Third-Party Defendant Mace (pro se) | | 2026-01-23 | Order Relieving Counsel for Nancy Mace; Order on Motion to Compel Compliance with Subpoenas | Court | | 2026-01-29 | Notice of Removal to District Court (supplemental); federal case opened | Mace (pro se) |

Sources & Related Coverage

Case No. 2025-CP-10-03124 is searchable on the South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index at publicindex.sccourts.org by case number. The federal removal proceeding is docketed as Case No. 2:26-cv-00305-BHH-MHC (D.S.C.) and searchable on PACER. All filings listed above are public records.