Kristen Williams v. PHILLIP TRUESDELL, Deceased

UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 25-2070
KRISTEN WILLIAMS,
Plaintiff - Appellant,
v.
PHILLIP TRUESDELL, Deceased; AUDREY COPELAND, As Phillip’s Power of
Authorities; RONALD COPELAND, As Phillip’s Power of Authorities; GROVER
BEAU SEATON, Former Attorney; SHEILA R. MIMS, Former Attorney; JASON
R. WHEELER, Appointed GAL; TODD J. MANLEY; DIAMOND GORDON, Case
Worker; TERRY PALM, Supervisor; SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF
SOCIAL SERVICES; ESTATE OF PHILLIP TRUESDELL; HANNAH
LASSITER; SIERRA REGISTER; VERNETTE TOLLIVER; NAJLA C. WRIGHT;
SALLY R. YOUNG; KYRA MCMILLAN; DEBBIE POLITANO,
Defendants - Appellees.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, at
Charleston. Bruce H. Hendricks, District Judge. (2:25-cv-00301-BHH)
Submitted: February 19, 2026 Decided: February 23, 2026
Before WYNN and HARRIS, Circuit Judges, and TRAXLER, Senior Circuit Judge.
Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Kristen Williams, Appellant Pro Se. Sarah Cameron Frierson, Joseph Calhoun Watson,
ROBINSON GRAY STEPP & LAFFITTE, LLC, Columbia, South Carolina; Carmen

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Vaughn Ganjehsani, Columbia, South Carolina, Payton Hoover, RICHARDSON
PLOWDEN & ROBINSON, PA, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; Stephen Lynwood
Brown, Graydon V. Olive, IV, CLEMENT RIVERS, LLP, Charleston, South Carolina, for
Appellees.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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PER CURIAM:
Kristen Williams seeks to appeal the district court’s order accepting the
recommendation of the magistrate judge and dismissing Williams’s 42 U.S.C. § 1983
action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim upon which relief
could be granted. We dismiss the appeal for lack of jurisdiction because the notice of
appeal was not timely filed.
In civil cases, parties have 30 days after the entry of the district court’s final
judgment or order to note an appeal, Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1)(A), unless the district court
extends the appeal period under Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(5) or reopens the appeal period under
Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(6). “[T]he timely filing of a notice of appeal in a civil case is a
jurisdictional requirement.” Bowles v. Russell, 551 U.S. 205, 214 (2007).
The district court entered its order on July 28, 2025, and the appeal period expired
on August 27, 2025. Williams filed the notice of appeal on September 3, 2025. Because
Williams failed to file a timely notice of appeal or to obtain an extension or reopening of
the appeal period, we dismiss the appeal.
We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are
adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the
decisional process.
DISMISSED

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