If everything had gone according to plan, Kayla and Kellie Bingham would likely have achieved their dream of becoming doctors by now.
But life takes unexpected turns, doesn’t it? For these identical twins from Columbia, South Carolina, things did not unfold as they had hoped.
At 33, instead of pursuing a career in medicine, the sisters have forged paths in law. This shift wasn’t motivated by childhood dreams, but rather by the adult struggles that disrupted their medical aspirations during a tumultuous scandal they are still overcoming.
During their second year at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Kayla and Kellie faced serious allegations of cheating in important examinations, and everything spiraled out of control from there.
In an exclusive chat, Kellie reflected, “It was one of the worst moments of my life. Just remembering the panic and confusion while defending ourselves for something we didn’t do still makes my heart sink.”
The exam involved multiple-choice questions, and authorities claimed their answers matched too closely to be genuine.
At 24, they were called in first to see the Dean, and then, a week later, to the university’s honors council.
The panel informed them that a professor had reported suspicions about their conduct during the exam, where remote monitoring had supposedly captured their actions.
One proctor was instructed to monitor the twins closely. She claimed to have observed them nodding at each other as if signaling.
She noted that one sister leaned back in her chair while the other flipped a paper toward her.
Kayla vehemently denies any such behavior, stating, “There was absolutely no signaling. We never looked at each other. No secret language, no twin telepathy involved.”
Interestingly, Kayla mentions that people often comment on their similar body language.
Kellie adds that, over the years, their academic performance has frequently mirrored one another, sometimes so closely that their grades seemed almost identical.
Even during separate examinations, they had achieved the same results.
However, their pleas went unheard, and the council ruled against them.
“It was both absurd and devastating,” Kayla recalls.
They appealed the decision to the dean, who, after an excruciating week of uncertainty that felt endless, ultimately cleared them of all wrongdoing.
Yet, the damage had already been inflicted. The rumor of their alleged cheating leaked out. Many peers overlooked the fact they were exonerated.
For most students at Charleston, it seemed like there must be some truth behind the allegations.
Kayla visibly pales as she remembers how social media tore down their reputation.
“We couldn’t even bear to read those awful comments ourselves,” she shares. “But we heard about them from Kellie’s boyfriend and our cousin, who was also at MUSC.”
Spiteful rumors ran rampant on campus, with classmates calling for their expulsion.
If found guilty, they would have had to retake their second year, but, as Kayla points out, their actual “punishment” was far worse despite their innocence.
As the gossip escalated, it spread to local blogs and a newspaper even published a sensational front-page piece that closely identified them.
Kellie remarked, “They didn’t name us, but it felt like they might as well have.”
That summer, the twins spent a challenging three months at home, hoping things would settle down.
They had dreamed of becoming doctors since they were twelve, attracted to working with patients or in medical research.
The first two years of their education had been enjoyable, despite the mounting workload and friendships they formed.
But everything changed in the chaos of the scandal. Both experienced severe anxiety, with Kayla developing facial and verbal tics that still affect her.
Still, they returned to MUSC in late August 2016. They felt they had to—medicine was their first love.
But the harsh reality was that prejudice hadn’t lessened.
They remember going into social spaces in Charleston only to have conversations pause as eyes turned to them accusatorily.
It got so uncomfortable that they opted for delivery over dining out and even found themselves uninvited to weddings.
In one instance, a bride sent a vague email about a misunderstanding. In another, the other bride never followed up after sending a save-the-date.
“We used to be some of the most popular people on campus, but now we were treated like outcasts,” Kellie notes.
One particularly striking incident involved a male student who aggressively shoved Kayla into a wall as she walked down a hallway.
She had to retreat to a maintenance closet in fear, calling her parents to say, “I can’t handle this anymore.”
By mid-September, they withdrew from MUSC on the dean’s advice for their own safety.
Their lives were forever altered, and they found solace in their close-knit family, crying together over the ordeal.
“Kayla was the only one who understood my predicament fully,” Kellie said.
In early 2017, they decided to sue MUSC for defamation and slander, alleging the school let the cheating rumors leak without defending their integrity.
“We knew the facts, so it was important for us to clear our names,” Kellie stated.
The legal process took years, partly due to pandemic-related delays.
In the meantime, the twins shifted their focus away from medicine to law, enrolling in the University of South Carolina’s law school as they delved deeper into their case.
They testified about the exam day and the trauma that followed, which they say still haunts them and redirected their lives.
Their attorney presented their academic records showing their consistent, often identical performance over the years.
A high school professor corroborated their achievements, detailing how they had submitted the same answers on an exam from a decade earlier while sitting at opposite ends of the classroom.
To further support their case, psychologist Nancy Segal, who studies twins, served as an expert witness, discussing the close bonds of twins and how complaints about cheating are frequent in educational settings.
Segal remarked that MUSC showed a surprising lack of understanding about twins and emphasized their shared upbringing as “natural partners in life.”
Her testimony hinted at the genetic predisposition for twins to perform similarly in academics.
After only two hours of deliberation, the jury ruled in favor of the Binghams, awarding them $1.5 million, though much would go towards legal costs and taxes.
“But this wasn’t about the money for us,” Kayla shared, holding Kellie’s hand during the verdict. “What price can you put on your reputation?”
Now, they are part of a significant law firm, focusing on government and corporate relationships.
“We miss medicine greatly and it’s a hard transition,” Kayla admits. “But our work is fulfilling, and we feel at home here.”
Despite their victory, MUSC appealed the verdict on procedural grounds within the required 30 days. “It still looms over us,” Kellie remarked.
Nevertheless, the twins take immense pride in their battle against the odds. Kayla concluded, “It was an excruciating journey, yet we stood our ground. We can hold our heads high.”
MUSC declined to comment on the case, citing ongoing litigation.
