Cascade Custom Pools loses $320K federal court case as lawsuits mount against troubled company

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A Myrtle Beach-based pool company at the center of a News13 investigation suffered a major legal defeat this week, amid a string of lawsuits stacked up against it.

While claims against Cascade Custom Pools continue to mount, the troubled company owned by Chris Harrington on Friday was ordered to pay more than $327,000 in total costs to SCP Distributors, including $268,448 in actual damages by U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Bryan Harwell.

SCP lodged its federal complain t on Jan. 24, suing for breach of contract against Cascade Pools and its owner Christopher Harrington, unjust enrichment and recovery of secured collateral, among other allegations.

Cascade has eight pending lawsuits in Horry County and one in Charleston County, court records show. In the latter, a behavioral health clinic called Aspire is demanding $186,300 in damages plus other costs.

News13 began looking into Cascade Pools earlier this year and discovered at least a dozen families, most from the Grand Strand, were left with incomplete or unstarted work.
Just between four families, $422,000 was lost.

Since then, several lawsuits have been filed on the state level — and two of them have already gone against the troubled company, court records show.

Horry County Magistrate Judge Manuela Areljan Clayton on April 22 ordered Cascade Pools to pay Myrtle Beach-based contractor Mr. Fence It $7,580 for undisclosed expenses.

Then on May 2, a Georgetown County judge said Cascade owed a Murrells Inlet bank $7,500.
Both were default judgments, which occurs when a judge rules in favor of one party if the accused doesn’t answer any court notices.

According to the Horry County Treasurer’s office, Cascade Custom Pools currently owes more than $10,000 in delinquent taxes for vehicle, personal, and property taxes.

Even as complaints against the company from dozens of families poured into the News13 newsroom, there do not appear to be any criminal investigations underway.

Robert Kittle, a spokesman for the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, said his agency doesn’t handle civil claims.

Jimmy Richardson, Horry County’s top prosecutor, said last month that no charges have been brought to him. Law enforcement need to present a case to a magistrate judge, who decides whether enough evidence exists to obtain an arrest warrant.

Cascade Custom Pools announced in mid-April that it was shutting down but offered existing customers a chance to get their projects finished through Quality Pools and Spas for an additional fee.

Meanwhile, the Better Business Bureau said it found 13 complaints over the past year, with none resolved. Cascade has an “F” rating with the consumer advocacy group.

Harrington has ignored multiple attempts by News13 to contact him via calls, email and texts.

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

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Savannah Denton joined News 13 in July 2023 as a reporter and producer. Savannah is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. Follow Savannah on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here .

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