Paige Jones Gossett
How Judge Gossett rules, drawn from 6 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Gossett
Paige Jones Gossett has served as a United States magistrate judge for the District of South Carolina since October 2008. She sits in Columbia and hears civil matters referred by the district court.
Judge Gossett's practices and standing orders
The court's website lists no individual practices or standing orders of Judge Gossett's own (checked October 9, 2026), so the court's local rules and general orders are the place to look (court page ↗).
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 9, 2026).
How Judge Gossett decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Procedural preferences
In Duggan v. Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals, Gossett recommended granting the employer summary judgment after finding the plaintiff had not established a prima facie discrimination case; the district judge adopted the recommendation.
“Magistrate Judge Gossett recommends granting Defendant’s motion for summary judgment. ... the court adopts the Report and Recommendation and grants Defendants’ motion for summary judgment.”
In Addison, Gossett recommended granting the employer’s summary-judgment motion and denying the employee’s cross-motion. The district judge adopted her recommendation.
“the court recommends that the defendant’s motion for summary judgment be granted (ECF No. 73) and the plaintiffs motion for summary judgment be denied (ECF No. 74). ... Accordingly, the court adopts the Report and Recommendation of the Magistrate and hereby denies Plaintiffs motion for summary judgment and grants Defendant’s motion for summary judgment.”
Cautions
In Cornelius v. City of Columbia, Gossett recommended summary judgment on a retaliation claim after finding the cited evaluation and probation were not adverse employment actions; the district judge adopted her recommendation.
“the Magistrate Judge entered a Report and Recommendation recommending that the City’s motion for summary judgment be granted.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Magistrate Judge Gossett recommends granting Defendant’s motion for summary judgment. ... the court adopts the Report and Recommendation and grants Defendants’ motion for summary judgment.”
“For the foregoing reasons, the court recommends that the defendant’s motion for summary judgment (Docket Entry 105) be granted.”
“the Magistrate Judge issued a Report and Recommendation in which she recommended that the court grant Defendant’s motion on all Plaintiffs claims. ... the court hereby GRANTS Defendant’s motion for summary judgment with respect to Plaintiffs claims for hostile work environment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. ... The court DENIES Defendant’s motion for summary judgment as to Plaintiffs claim for sex and pregnancy discrimination.”
“the court recommends that the defendant’s motion for summary judgment be granted (ECF No. 73) and the plaintiffs motion for summary judgment be denied (ECF No. 74).”
“the Magistrate Judge issued a Report recommending Defendant’s motion for summary judgment be granted as to the ADA claim ... the court declines to adopt the Report. ... Defendant’s motion for summary judgment is denied as to Plaintiffs ADA and breach of contract claims.”
“On February 20, 2018, Judge Gossett issued a Report and Recommendation (‘Report’) recommending that Plaintiff's Motion for Preliminary Injunction be denied.”
Pending matters in the official report
Reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Civil Justice Reform Act, as of March 31, 2026.
| Motions pending more than six months | 0 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 0 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2020 | 0 | 0 |
A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.
How long civil cases take in this court
For the whole of United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, not for Judge Gossett: median time from filing to disposition of the civil cases the court closed in the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, as reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
| Cases | Median time | |
|---|---|---|
| All civil cases closed | 2,805 | 7.8 months |
| Closed with no court action | 724 | 5.1 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 2,005 | 8.6 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 64 | 17.9 months |
| Closed during trial | 12 | 36 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 2,805 | 7.8 months |
| Sep 2024 | 5,800 | 12.2 months |
| Sep 2023 | 2,296 | 8.5 months |
| Sep 2022 | 2,364 | 9.8 months |
| Sep 2021 | 2,599 | 10 months |
| Sep 2020 | 2,190 | 10.1 months |
| Sep 2019 | 2,402 | 9.8 months |
The table leaves out prisoner petitions, land condemnations, deportation reviews, recovery of overpayments and enforcement of judgments, and reports no median for fewer than 10 cases. A district that closed a large multidistrict litigation in the period shows very large counts and long medians for that year. Source: Table C-5, U.S. District Courts (spreadsheet).
Draft for Judge Gossett with the record in hand
Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Gossett, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.
Opens in Ezel Pro.
- Grounded in Judge Gossett's own signed orders
- Cites every source it relies on, so you can verify it
- Chat, drafting and research in one workspace