By Michael Phillips | Originally posted on The Thunder Report
When FITSNews published its bombshell 2023 investigation exposing corruption in South Carolina’s family courts, many readers were stunned by the scale of the rot: backroom deals, judicial favoritism, lawyer-legislator protectionism, and a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) system used not to protect children, but to punish the parents who dared to speak out.
Now, nearly two years later, the case of William Sewell, a self-represented father from Summerville, South Carolina, confirms that the systemic abuse uncovered in “Mother Doe’s” case was not an anomaly. In fact, Sewell’s experience with Family Court Judge Mandy Kimmons, attorney Donnie Gamache, and GAL Jason Wheeler reads like a chapter ripped straight from that same corruption playbook.
The $25,000 Paywall to See Your Kids
In William Sewell’s case, the abuse starts with the price tag. After years of contentious litigation, he was ordered to pay $25,000 in fees to the opposing attorney and Guardian ad Litem—an amount he simply cannot afford. His inability to pay could land him in jail, a debtors’ prison scenario that effectively silences him while robbing his child of a father.
No one has explained what these exorbitant fees are for, or how a pro se father—without a law firm or deep pockets—was expected to fund not just his own defense, but the entire machinery working against him.
Just like in the “Mother Doe” case, this financial chokehold operates as a mechanism of control and retaliation. And like her, William faces threats to his parental rights not because he’s unfit, but because he refuses to play along with the system’s corruption.
Judge Mandy Kimmons: Rubber Stamp or Power Broker?
Judge Mandy Kimmons, the presiding judge in Sewell’s case, is a former state legislator who resigned in 2021, only to reappear as a family court judge—appointed through the same lawyer-legislator-controlled system criticized in the FITSNews exposé. Since her bench appointment, Kimmons has faced growing criticism for unexplained rulings, refusal to recuse despite conflicts of interest, and consistent decisions that seem to favor well-connected attorneys over unrepresented parents.
In Sewell’s case, Judge Kimmons not only allowed the $25,000 fee order to stand, she reportedly refused to enforce joint custody agreements or penalize the opposing party for withholding visitation—violating the spirit, and arguably the letter, of family law meant to protect a child’s relationship with both parents.
As with the FITSNews case, parents challenging court corruption are not protected—they are punished.
Donnie Gamache: The “Other Side” With All the Power
Attorney Donnie Gamache represents the opposing party in Sewell’s case and is allegedly the driving force behind many of the excessive motions, legal traps, and fee demands. According to Sewell, Gamache refuses to negotiate in good faith, instead weaponizing the legal system to bleed Sewell dry, stall proceedings, and instill fear that he will deny him access to his own child.
Gamache, like many entrenched South Carolina attorneys, operates with near-immunity under the protection of a system that rarely disciplines its own. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC), as reported by FITSNews, routinely sits on complaints without meaningful action. That pattern appears to hold here too. Despite repeated misconduct concerns, no known consequences have ever come down on Gamache.
Jason Wheeler: Guardian for the Child—or for the Court?
Perhaps the most disturbing figure in Sewell’s case is Guardian ad Litem Jason Wheeler, who is supposed to represent the child’s best interests—but has instead drawn allegations of bias, misconduct, and neglect of duty.
Wheeler has reportedly failed to meet with William Sewell for months, refuses to return calls, and does not file timely reports with the court. Worse, he appears to parrot the mother’s legal arguments and ignore documented evidence of interference with visitation. In the words of one advocate familiar with the case: “This is not a Guardian ad Litem. It’s a co-counsel for the plaintiff.”
As in the Mother Doe case, the GAL system is being used not to protect the child, but to validate judicial and attorney misconduct with a veneer of neutrality. Wheeler’s failure to conduct proper investigations or balance both parents’ roles in the child’s life calls into question whether the GAL system in South Carolina is fundamentally broken—or designed to be this way.
Silenced by Design
One of the most heartbreaking aspects of William Sewell’s case is that no attorney will take it on. Not because it’s unwinnable—but because it’s too dangerous. According to Sewell, multiple lawyers have declined representation, citing fear of judicial retaliation, political connections, or simply not wanting to be blackballed in local courts.
This is the same chilling pattern described in the FITSNews exposé, where attorneys warned clients not to file complaints, because the judges would “find out” and “take your kids.”
This is not a justice system. This is a hostage situation, cloaked in robes and gavels.
Nancy Mace Sounds the Alarm
Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) echoed what many parents already know, but few politicians have dared say publicly. In a viral June 2025 TikTok @basedmace, Mace slammed South Carolina’s lawyer-legislator judicial selection process, calling it “a lawyer-legislator club where the judges are handpicked by the people they’re supposed to rule over.”
“We don’t have an independent judiciary in South Carolina. We have lawyers electing judges who will protect them—not the people.” – Nancy Mace
Her words confirm what the FITSNews investigation, the Mother Doe recordings, and William Sewell’s own case reveal: there is no separation between the court and the cartel.
A Rotten System Protects Its Own
- Judges like Mandy Kimmons, who used to be legislators, now sit in judgment of their former colleagues’ clients.
- Lawyers like Donnie Gamache can demand outrageous fees from the very people the court system has bankrupted.
- GALs like Jason Wheeler are effectively unaccountable, even when they ignore the child they were appointed to protect.
- The ODC acts as a firewall to shield misconduct from public scrutiny or consequences.
- And parents like William Sewell are left penniless, voiceless, and branded as “troublemakers” for wanting to be in their child’s life.
This is not a courtroom—it’s a courtroom cartel.
A Call for Intervention
William Sewell’s case demands more than sympathy. It demands federal intervention, judicial review, and widespread public scrutiny. Until South Carolina abolishes its lawyer-legislator selection model, installs independent judicial oversight, and reforms its GAL system, cases like Sewell’s will continue—unheard, unrepresented, and unresolved.
Reform Is Not Optional — It’s Overdue
If the South Carolina Supreme Court, the legislature, or the ODC continue to look the other way while cases like William Sewell’s unfold, they are not just complicit—they are co-conspirators. This case, like that of Mother Doe, demands immediate action:
- Independent oversight of all GAL appointments
- Fee cap and hardship waivers for indigent parents
- Automatic recusal of judges who previously served in the legislature
- Third-party investigations into allegations of bias and misconduct
- Reform of judicial selection to eliminate lawyer-legislator conflicts
Final Word
William Sewell is not a criminal. He is a father. But in South Carolina’s family court, that label seems to come with a presumption of guilt—if you’re poor, if you’re self-represented, or if you dare to challenge the system.
The next question for South Carolina voters, lawyers, lawmakers, and media is this:
How many more William Sewells must be broken before someone does something about it?
All claims in this article are based on the personal experiences and allegations made by our sources. This article includes opinions and reporting based on interviews, court documents, and publicly available information. Any named parties are presumed innocent of any wrongdoing unless proven otherwise.
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