Luxury Custom Homes in Johns Island, SC

JOHNS ISLAND — A national homebuilder has reached the end of its appeals in state courts fighting for what it believes is its right to cancel sales contracts for any reason it wants.

That includes putting a customized house back on the market to sell to another buyer at a higher price.

A March 11 ruling by the S.C. Supreme Court culminates the five-year lawsuit against Charlotte-based Eastwood Homes filed by contracted buyers of nine homes within the builder’s Swygert’s Landing subdivision on Johns Island.

The case centered on a dispute between the buyers and builder after Eastwood canceled each of their contracts on the same day in June 2021, some shortly before the sales were to close. In return the buyers were given a refund of their deposits and $100 for “damages.”

Ever since, the purchasers have stood their ground against the homebuilder for breach of contract, arguing the language regarding cancellation was vague, unfair and one-sided.

Two state courts have since agreed. The Supreme Court has declined to intervene in those decisions.

“Eastwood has spent five years trying to convince a court, any court, that it should be able to cancel contracts on families days before closing and walk away with no consequences,” attorney Ross Appel, co-counsel for the purchasers, told The Post and Courier. “This issue is now settled. These are real contracts with real families and Eastwood is going to be held accountable."

Plaintiffs Chris and LaShonda Jones Rayborn were one month away from closing when they got the email on June 4, 2021 — a day Chris Rayborn said is burned into his memory.

“At the time, we were living in a townhouse and had already purchased all the furniture and everything,” he said.

They waited out years in the crammed space before inevitably buying another house on Johns Island.

Lou Galvinos and his wife, Kimberly, were in a similar spot. Four days before the Eastwood email arrived, the plaintiffs had sold their Kentucky house and put their belongings in storage. Because they had to move to Charleston for jobs, they ended up living in a nearby apartment for three years with their items in storage hoping the case would have resolved sooner.

But they and the other buyers stuck it out, filing individual lawsuits against Eastwood that later became one big play against the homebuilder.

“Our lawyers said it would be a very hard sell, but we didn’t think it would be because we were the ones who were wronged,” Galvinos said. “We signed the contract with them, asking about price increases and stuff like that. They said the price is guaranteed once you sign the contract … (because) they buy all the products right then.”

In June 2025, the S.C. Court of Appeals upheld an initial 2024 ruling by Charleston County Master-in-Equity Mikell Scarborough that said the cancellation provision in Eastwood’s standard contract are “unconscionable” — or so unfair and unreasonable that they’re unenforceable.

The builder has long-maintained language in a specific contract clause gives the company unilateral authority to cancel agreements at any time prior to closing if a “bonafide dispute” arose. The clause also gave Eastwood the sole discretion to define what a “dispute” is.

The builder doubled-down in a 2024 hearing, so much so that Allen Nason, the company’s general counsel, said that cancellations are up to “the seller’s sole judgment, so I don’t really care what your opinion is. It is only my opinion that matters, period."

After Eastwood was twice denied, it then petitioned the state Supreme Court to take its case. But the high court ruled March 11 in a one-sentence order: “Based on the vote of the court, the petition … is denied.”

Eastwood’s lawyer, Ward Bradley, did not respond to a request for comment.

The buyers, who planned to move from all over the U.S. to Johns Island, entered into separate contracts with Eastwood from September 2020 to January 2021 to build houses to their specifications on lots they selected, according to the legal filing.

The prices ranged at the time from $534,000 to nearly $609,000.

For the last few years, the Swygert’s Landing homes have sat vacant and in various stages of construction — some completed while others have bare-bones foundations.

The lawsuit alleges Eastwood suddenly terminated their contracts citing a "legal error" in the paperwork, asking the buyers instead of waiting for a fix to negotiate a new contract for the same property at "current market value."

By that time, home prices in the area had risen to upwards of $800,000.

A majority of the homeowners have since found new living situations, but Appel said the Supreme Court ruling now brings the original, individual lawsuits against the builder back into play. The breach of contract complaints had stalled for years to focus on the combined lawsuit.

“We are excited to get through these appeals and get these cases in front of a jury,” said Michael T. Cooper of Apostolou Law Firm, who is co-counsel for the buyers. “Like the appellate courts have done, we believe the jury will ultimately side with these innocent home buyers and look forward to that day.”

The nine individual lawsuits are now “back on track,” Appel said. The main outcome at this point is damages, rather than following through on the sales.

“We have a lot of time and money tied up into this. As far as lost equity, we lived in an apartment for three years hoping we’d get it… so we weren’t paying a mortgage then,” Galvinos said. “If we would have gotten the house when we were supposed to, we’d have a sub-3-percent mortgage. So you’re talking about all of that and storage for three years.”

The builder said they’d most likely tear the homes down anyway, Raborn said. Glavinos added that Eastwood told them “they’d never sell us the house anyway.”

While the March 11 ruling is only applicable for the nine buyers of these specific homes, Eastwood contracts around the state could potentially be affected because the disputed language must be removed, Appel said.

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) — As Charleston County moves forward with a more than $350 million road project aimed at easing congestion at the intersection of U.S. Highway 17 and Main Road, some drivers said the construction is disrupting their daily routine and raising safety concerns.

The long-planned project includes building a new interchange with flyover off-ramps connecting northbound and southbound U.S. 17 to Main Road, along with a Main Road spur bridge over U.S. 17. County leaders have said the improvements are designed to address persistent traffic backups in one of the region’s fastest-growing areas.

A key concern for one driver, James Adams, is the closure of Old Charleston Highway, which is being used to store construction equipment and allow crews to move between the two major roadways. The closure has limited direct access to several nearby businesses, including a Waffle House, a laundromat and a seafood restaurant.

Drivers who once used Old Charleston Highway as a side route now must enter and exit through the heavily congested intersection, navigating fast-moving traffic and frequent standstills.

Adams, who has lived in the area since 2016 and commutes from James Island, said he used to regularly visit the Waffle House near the intersection. Now, he often avoids it.

“With the construction, it’s not safe to turn around,” Adams said. “No matter how far you go down, you’re going to have to fight the traffic and then turn around and come back. I’m living over on James Island, which makes it a big problem.”

He said he is especially frustrated by the decision to block off direct access to the businesses.

“I’m just concerned that they have blocked the entrance into the businesses over here,” Adams said. “I mean, there’s no reason that they can’t allow customers to still come straight across.”

Adams said he has also noticed fewer customers inside the restaurants.

“All the businesses here, not only just Waffle House, are having the same problem,” Adams said. “People are not going… because of this construction. In fact, the Waffle House would normally be completely full right now and there’s just a few people in it.”

Adams said when construction first began, Old Charleston Highway remained open to drivers. Now that access is blocked, he worries the detours are not only inconvenient but potentially dangerous.

Project Manager Herb Nimz said the county understands the frustrations but emphasized the long-term goal of the work.

“We appreciate the community’s patience as the U.S. 17 and Main Road improvements take shape,” Nimz said. “There’s no question that a project of this scale brings temporary disruptions, and the project team is working hard to manage those impacts while keeping this critical work on track. In the end, these short-term inconveniences will pay off with safer travel, reduced congestion, and smoother, more reliable commutes for everyone.”

The overall project is expected to be completed by September 2028. There is currently no timeline for when Old Charleston Highway will reopen.

JOHNS ISLAND — For local construction business magnate Tony Berenyi, his remote island home on a swath of land in the center of Bohicket Creek has been a pleasant respite from the hustle and bustle of greater Charleston.

He’d never expected it to catch fire, let alone twice in one day.

Around 17 hours after the two-story Hopkinson Plantation Island home first ignited the morning of Feb. 24, it lit up yet again. The second time was devastating. Only a few exterior walls of the home remain. The rest is ash.

At 10 p.m., neighbors called Berenyi to report a “bonfire” at his home. Photos sent to the newspaper from a resident who lives across Bohicket Creek showed a massive orange plume, billowing dark gray smoke which had been illuminated by the blaze.

“It makes no sense,” Berenyi said. “The house was saturated (with water).”

The fire was under control shortly after midnight Feb. 25, said Ryan Kunitzer, chief of the St. Johns Fire District.

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are aiding in the probe to determine the cause, an upgrade in investigative efforts following the smaller blaze that had engulfed the home’s living room that morning.

Berenyi had allowed his daughter to stay at the remote island home by herself this past weekend, Berenyi told The Post and Courier by phone Feb. 25.

She’d built a fire in the living room fireplace the evening of Feb. 23. Berenyi’s daughter extinguished the flame before heading to bed.

The next morning, she awoke to screeching fire alarms.

As the sun rose over the marshland, firefighters were snaking a giant hose across the long, 5-foot-wide wooden footbridge that connects the island to mainland. It’s the only point of ground access to Berenyi’s home. Crews got the call around 6 a.m., and rushed to the scene.

Firefighters utilized the bridge, golf carts and a 38-foot pump boat to reach the scene, said Kunitzer.

The burn was completely extinguished around 10 a.m. Berenyi’s daughter was safe, so was the dog she’d brought along, her father said.

Around 17 hours later, the house ignited again in what Berenyi describes as an event that “defies logic.”

Berenyi owns Berenyi Consulting, an organization that provides architectural and engineering guidance on construction projects. He’d built the Johns Island home in 2002, Berenyi said. He and a friend own the entire eight-acre island.

Berenyi sent out his construction crew shortly after the morning blaze was extinguished. Then he personally checked out the home that afternoon. There was no evidence of any remaining embers or fire that he could see, he told the newspaper.

But by 11 p.m., Kunitzer’s fire crews were again on the scene, repeating the exact same efforts they’d done several hours prior.

The fire was under control shortly after midnight Feb. 25.

“I can’t speculate on arson,” Kunitzer told The Post and Courier. There could be several reasons why the home re-ignited, he added.

Berenyi doesn’t believe the second blaze was purposeful, either. He made a point to explain that he’ll collect no insurance money from this incident.

“That house has been a gift to many people in the Charleston community,” Berenyi said. It’s a spot frequented by friends and family when he’s not actively using it.

He laments the loss of photos of his mother and the Bronze Star medal he’d earned after military service, Berenyi told The Post and Courier. Ultimately, the loss of the items doesn’t outweigh his relief that no one was hurt.

“I’m gonna rebuild, and rebuild better,” he said.