The State, Respondent v. Lamar Sequan Brown, Petitioner.

Summary

The South Carolina Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Appeals, holding that Lamar Brown abandoned his cell phone and therefore had no reasonable expectation of privacy in its digital contents. The Court ruled that Riley v. California does not alter the traditional abandonment analysis, although its observations about cell‑phone privacy are a relevant factor. Consequently, the warrantless search of the phone was lawful under the Fourth Amendment.