THIS OPINION HAS NO PRECEDENTIAL VALUE. IT SHOULD NOT BE CITED OR RELIED ON AS PRECEDENT IN ANY PROCEEDING EXCEPT AS PROVIDED BY RULE 268(d)(2), SCACR.

THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA In The Supreme Court

Ja Ja D. B. Okera, Appellant,

v.

South Carolina Department of Corrections, Respondent.

Appellate Case No. 2009-135046

Appeal from the Administrative Law Court Carolyn Matthews, Administrative Law Judge

Memorandum Opinion No. 2012-MO-042 Submitted October 15, 2012 – Filed October 24, 2012

AFFIRMED

Ja Ja D.B. Okera, of Ridgeland, pro se, Appellant.

Lake E. Summers and Katherine A. Phillips, both of Malone Thompson Summers & Ott, of Columbia, for the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

PER CURIAM: This is a direct appeal from an order of the Administrative Law Court dismissing the appeal from the Department of Corrections' denial of Appellant's inmate grievance based on his failure to comply with the relevant statute of limitations set forth in the Department's internal policy. We affirm pursuant to Rule 220(b)(1), SCACR, and the following authorities: Al-Shabazz v. State, 338 S.C. 354, 527 S.E.2d 742 (1999) (approving Department of Corrections' internal procedures for discipline and grievances, which specify a fifteen-day time limit for filing for grievances).

TOAL, C.J., PLEICONES, BEATTY, KITTREDGE and HEARN, JJ., concur.