Appeals court rules in Winthrop’s favor in 2010 campus roof fire

A more than $ 7 million jury award to Winthrop University against a contractor stemming from a 2010 roof fire has been upheld by the South Carolina Court of Appeals.

The appeal of the March 2014 jury award by Pickens Roofing and Sheet Metals was heard by a three-judge panel of the state appeals court last December.

The fire started on a roof connecting Owens Hall and Bancroft Hall and burned for more than 24 hours.

The blaze caused extensive fire and water damage to both buildings, and forced the relocation of classes and offices for months.

The cause of the fire was never determined, but both sides in the lawsuit say roofing materials were stored in the flat section of the roof that connected the two buildings on the Winthrop campus.