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Alex Murdaugh is named in eight civil lawsuits. Here’s a breakdown of all the SC cases

As suspended Hampton lawyer Alex Murdaugh sits in a Richland County jail on a slew of criminal charges, multiple civil lawsuits against Murdaugh and his once-prominent family are winding through the courts system.

Murdaugh, who called 911 in June after his younger son, Paul, and wife, Maggie, were shot to death on the family’s property, is named as a defendant in at least eight lawsuits.

Most of those suits stem from a 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. Paul Murdaugh, 20 at the time, was allegedly driving the boat while drunk when it crashed into a bridge. He was facing trial on three felony charges related to the crash when he died.

The most recent lawsuit against the Murdaugh family was filed late last week by boat crash survivor and Beach’s then-boyfriend, Keith “Anthony” Cook.

Together, the numerous lawsuits illustrate the tangled web of legal problems surrounding the once-respected Murdaugh family that show their dizzying fall from grace. In addition to the financial issues raised in the lawsuits, at least one of the suits was the genesis for a slew of criminal charges against Alex Murdaugh, a former assistant prosecutor who once led the state trial lawyers’ association.

Among the other civil lawsuits facing Murdaugh: allegations that he illegally funneled money away from the estate of his deceased former housekeeper, that he stole funds from the storied law firm founded by his great-grandfather, and that he received loans from his brother and former law partner and never paid them back.

Parker’s gas station, where the underage Paul Murdaugh purchased alcohol before the boat crash, is also accused of bullying the Beach family and distributing a confidential video to a New York-based reporter.

With so many lawsuits in the courts, The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette have provided a guide to the cases:

Lawsuits stemming from 2019 boat crash

Renee Beach v. Parkers 55, Alex Murdaugh, Buster Murdaugh

A photo of Mallory Beach and a bible verse are pictured in the window of Retail Therapy on Bay in downtown Beaufort as seen on Friday, Jan. 21, 2020. Mallory, 19, worked at the store before her death when she was killed in a boat accident in Archers Creek in Beaufort County on Feb. 24, 2020 after the boat struck a bridge piling and threw her from the boat.

Shortly after Mallory Beach’s death in 2019, her mother, Renee, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against members of the Murdaugh family, as well as the couple who hosted an oyster roast prior to the crash, the bar where Paul Murdaugh bought shots before the crash and the gas station that sold Paul Murdaugh alcohol.

The lawsuit was filed in Hampton County in March 2019 after being filed in Beaufort County for a brief time.

Over the past two years, filings in the civil suit have revealed new details about what happened in the hours leading up to and immediately after the boat crash that killed Beach and implicated the prominent Murdaugh family. Among the details are sworn testimony from the survivors of the wreck and allegations that Paul Murdaugh used his older brother’s ID to buy alcohol.

Paul Terry Murdaugh uses a flashlight to see his father’s boat at the Beaufort Day Dock in this video surveillance still at 1:13 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2019 at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Mallory Beach, who died later that morning in the boating accident, is seen at back talking with her boyfriend.
Paul Terry Murdaugh uses a flashlight to see his father’s boat at the Beaufort Day Dock in this video surveillance still at 1:13 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2019 at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Mallory Beach, who died later that morning in the boating accident, is seen at back talking with her boyfriend.

One of the most recent filings in the case is an amended lawsuit in November that accuses Alex Murdaugh of negligently entrusting his boat to his son, Paul. The amended lawsuit alleges that Alex Murdaugh knew or should have known that his son was drinking and driving.

Another filing relates to a confidential mediation video that Renee Beach’s lawyer, Mark Tinsley, accuses the Parker’s convenience store of providing to a New York-based reporter. In the filing, Tinsley asks for a hearing to consider sanctioning Parker’s.

That hearing is tentatively scheduled for Friday in York County. Tinsley has also sued Parker’s, Parker’s lawyers, the reporter and two others for their alleged involvement in the transfer of the private video.

Confidential probate records obtained by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette show that the Beach family has already settled with six parties that were originally named in, and later dropped from, the lawsuit for $1.7 million.

Renee Beach’s lawsuit now seeks damages from Alex Murdaugh, Paul’s father and owner of the boat that crashed; Paul’s older brother, Buster, who gave him his ID to buy beer; and Parkers 55, the gas station chain where the underage Murdaugh purchased beer.

Connor Cook v. Parkers 55, Tajeeha Cohen, Alex Murdaugh, Buster Murdaugh

Paul Terry Murdaugh, left with stripe, and Connor Cook, behind, prepare to leave Luther’s Rare and Well Done on Feb. 24, 2019 after law enforcement said the two each had two shots of alcohol. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said the two were in the bar for 12 minutes before heading back to Mallory Beach and the others.
Paul Terry Murdaugh, left with stripe, and Connor Cook, behind, prepare to leave Luther’s Rare and Well Done on Feb. 24, 2019 after law enforcement said the two each had two shots of alcohol. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said the two were in the bar for 12 minutes before heading back to Mallory Beach and the others.

In September, Connor Cook, one of the passengers aboard the boat that crashed and killed Beach, filed suit against Alex Murdaugh, Buster Murdaugh, Parker’s and the convenience store employee who sold Paul Murdaugh alcohol.

The lawsuit, filed by Columbia attorneys Joe McCulloch and Kathy Schillaci, recalls the hours just before and immediately after the moment when Paul Murdaugh allegedly crashed the boat while drunk and includes similar allegations to Beach’s wrongful death suit.

However, Cook’s lawsuit alleges that Alex Murdaugh and “others were orchestrating a campaign” to blame Cook for the crash instead of Paul Murdaugh, who was ultimately indicted.

It also describes how Alex Murdaugh attempted to “control the narrative” of what happened and told Cook not to speak with officers investigating the crash.

The suit claims Alex Murdaugh started a “whisper campaign” in the Hampton County community, attempted to misdirect law enforcement and potentially obstructed the investigation so that Cook would be held criminally and civilly responsible for the crash.

After filing the suit, Cook’s attorneys dropped a civil petition they had previously filed that claimed law enforcement officers may have known about intentions to hamper the boat crash investigation and shift blame from Paul Murdaugh to Cook. The petition sought access to law enforcement officers’ work and personal cell phone records.

Keith Anthony Cook Jr. v. Gregory M. Parker Inc., Parker’s, Tajeeha Cohen, Alex Murdaugh

The newest lawsuit against Alex Murdaugh was filed last week by Mallory Beach’s then-boyfriend Keith “Anthony” Cook.

Cook, represented by Patrick W. Carr from Beaufort-based Carr Legal Group, is suing Alex Murdaugh, Parker’s and the Parker’s employee who allegedly sold Paul Murdaugh alcohol before the crash.

The lawsuit, which seeks actual and punitive damages to cover medical treatment costs, emotional and health distress, and other costs, includes almost identical claims to the ones previously made by Connor Cook and Mallory Beach’s mother.

Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance v. Alex Murdaugh, Buster Murdaugh, Renee Beach

This lawsuit was dismissed in September 2021, two years after it was filed, when a judge ruled in favor of the insurance company.

Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance had sued two members of the Murdaugh family in federal court, asking it to relieve the company of financial responsibilities for any claims by Murdaugh and his son, Buster. This suit stemmed from Beach’s wrongful death suit against the family, and she is also named as a defendant.

The Murdaugh family requested that two commercial insurance policies cover them in the wrongful death suit, but the insurance company argued it had no duty to cover the family in that case. The suit argued the family was not insured as individuals, that the policies were for injuries from “private hunting operations” and that the insurance documents state the policies in place did not apply to bodily injury arising out of the ownership or use of a watercraft, according to the lawsuit.

Mallory Beach’s family v. Parker’s, Greco, D’Cruz, Ward, Fratoddi, Rosado and Private Investigations Services Group LLC

In this Feb. 23, 2019 still from video surveillance, law enforcement says Paul Terry Murdaugh purchased alcohol and cigarettes using his brother’s identification at a Parker’s gas station on S.C. 170 in Ridgeland, S.C.
In this Feb. 23, 2019 still from video surveillance, law enforcement says Paul Terry Murdaugh purchased alcohol and cigarettes using his brother’s identification at a Parker’s gas station on S.C. 170 in Ridgeland, S.C.

Last week, in Hampton County court, the family of Mallory Beach accused the Parker’s convenience store CEO and his lawyers of creating a social media campaign intended to bully the family during its wrongful death litigation against the convenience store.

As part of that campaign, Parker’s CEO Greg Parker and his lawyers, Blake Greco and Jason D’Cruz, hired social media “knife fighters” and others who created fake social media posts to “harass and emotionally harm” the Beach family and distributed confidential mediation material to a New York-based reporter, the lawsuit alleges.

No one in the Murdaugh family was named as a defendant in this lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed by attorney Mark Tinsley on behalf of Mallory Beach’s mother, father, sister, brother-in-law and Beach’s father’s wife.

It builds upon accusations by Tinsley that someone affiliated with Parker’s convenience store sold a mediation video and notes to New York-based journalist Vicky Ward. Tinsley cites the recent release of a trailer, which has since been deleted, for a documentary called “The Murdaugh Murders.”

A screenshot of journalist Vicky Ward’s website.
A screenshot of journalist Vicky Ward’s website.

That trailer, viewed by reporters, included previously unseen photos of Mallory Beach’s dead body. Those photos, the new lawsuit alleges, were taken from a private mediation video owned by the Beach family.

Ward, in an October statement, denied having purchased anything from Parker’s.

Parker’s, in a statement released just after the lawsuit was filed, denied providing crime scene photos, video footage and other confidential mediation information to Ward.

“Parker’s is disappointed that anyone would leak or discuss information contained in these items with the media,” the statement said. “In fact, when Parker’s filed a motion in November of 2020 regarding mediation material, Parker’s was careful not to disclose anything that could be considered confidential.

“We continue to send our condolences to the Beach family for their loss and will be filing a timely response to the Plaintiff’s false, baseless allegations.”

Gloria Satterfield scheme

Missing money in Gloria Satterfield’s death

Gloria Satterfield was a nanny and housekeeper for the Murdaugh family before her death.
Gloria Satterfield was a nanny and housekeeper for the Murdaugh family before her death.

In September, the two sons of Alex Murdaugh’s deceased former housekeeper sued Murdaugh and five others for their involvement in an alleged scheme to siphon off $4.3 million in insurance money that resulted from the housekeeper’s death.

Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaugh’s family housekeeper for more than 20 years, died in 2018 after a fall at Murdaugh’s house.

The lawsuit against Murdaugh, filed by attorneys Eric Bland and Ronnie Richter, was the genesis for numerous criminal charges filed recently against the suspended Hampton lawyer. Murdaugh is being held in a Richland County jail due to the allegations laid out in the lawsuit.

Alex Murdaugh arrives at his bond hearing in Richland County, S.C. on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021.
Alex Murdaugh arrives at his bond hearing in Richland County, S.C. on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021.

As of this month, five entities allegedly involved with Murdaugh’s scheme have already settled with the Satterfields for more than $6 million: Beaufort lawyer Cory Fleming; his former law firm, Moss Kuhn & Fleming; Palmetto State Bank; Palmetto State Bank Vice President Chad Westendorf; and Murdaugh’s former law firm, Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED). None has admitted fault in the matter.

In a response filed in November, Murdaugh claimed that because everyone else had already settled, he should not have to pay back any of the money he allegedly stole.

Satterfield’s sons, in response, argued that Murdaugh actually owes them millions more — including for lost investment opportunities and taxes.

Alex Murdaugh’s financial problems

Randolph Murdaugh IV v. Richard Alexander Murdaugh

Hampton lawyer Randolph Murdaugh IV, older brother of Alex Murdaugh.
Hampton lawyer Randolph Murdaugh IV, older brother of Alex Murdaugh.

Alex Murdaugh’s brother and former law partner, Randy Murdaugh, filed a lawsuit on Oct. 28, 2021, in Hampton County saying he had lent Alex $90,000 prior to Sept. 2, 2021.

Despite Alex Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster, giving Randy Murdaugh a Kubota tractor and rotary cutter in exchange for a cancellation of some of his father’s debts, the lawsuit alleged Alex Murdaugh still owed $46,500.

The next day, Alex Murdaugh signed and filed a “confession of judgment,” which allows the plaintiff (in this case, Randy) to collect money, virtually speeding up the court process.

Ultimately though, a judge froze both Alex and Buster Murdaugh’s assets days later, giving control of them to court-appointed overseers. Those overseers filed an emergency order in this case, saying any execution of the confession of judgment would violate the co-receivers “exclusive” power and authority over the assets.

The emergency motion on Nov. 4, in which the co-receivers requested until Dec. 29 to file another response, was the last movement in the case.

John E Parker v. Richard Alexander Murdaugh

John E. Parker, a former law partner of Alex Murdaugh, sued Murdaugh on Oct. 29, 2021 in Hampton County. The suit alleged he loaned $477,000 to Alex Murdaugh between March and July, but hadn’t received any money back.
John E. Parker, a former law partner of Alex Murdaugh, sued Murdaugh on Oct. 29, 2021 in Hampton County. The suit alleged he loaned $477,000 to Alex Murdaugh between March and July, but hadn’t received any money back.

John E. Parker, a former law partner of Alex Murdaugh, filed a similar law suit to Randy Murdaugh on Oct. 29, 2021, in Hampton County. The suit alleged he loaned $477,000 to Alex Murdaugh between March and July, but hadn’t received any payments.

Again, a day later Alex Murdaugh signed and filed a “confession of judgment” saying he owed Parker $477,000.

On Nov. 5, the co-receivers controlling Alex Murdaugh’s assets filed a similar emergency order to the one in Randy Murdaugh’s lawsuit, saying any execution of the confession of judgment would violate the court order and asked for a Dec. 29 deadline to file another response. That was the last movement on the case.

PMPED v. Alex Murdaugh

Alex Murdaugh in a courtroom on the Facebook page of the law firm Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick.
Alex Murdaugh in a courtroom on the Facebook page of the law firm Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick.

In October, Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm, founded by his great-grandfather in 1910, sued Murdaugh, claiming that he funneled stolen money from clients and the law firm into a bank account for years.

Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED) filed the suit in Colleton County court, alleging Murdaugh “was able to covertly steal these funds by disguising disbursements from settlements as payments” to Murdaugh’s fraudulent account.

PMPED’s lawsuit against Murdaugh came one day after court documents indicated the firm could be implicated in Murdaugh’s scheme to divert a multimillion-dollar settlement away from the heirs of his former housekeeper.

In a statement about the lawsuit, PMPED said Murdaugh submitted to the firm and clients false documentation that allowed him to funnel stolen money into “fraudulent bank accounts.” Murdaugh, the statement said, used firm assets “in an unauthorized manner and without the consent or knowledge of his former partners to further his scheme to defraud.”

The firm’s lawsuit sought to find out where Murdaugh’s alleged stolen money went and “if any of it is hidden away,” the statement said. PMPED also wanted to know whether Murdaugh has signed any agreements that would allow him to make money from books, interviews or other publicity, the statement said.

In November, Alex Murdaugh declined to the respond to the allegations and asserted his constitutional privilege against self-incrimination.