A federal judge in South Carolina has dismissed Alex Murdaugh's civil lawsuit against a former court clerk, Becky Hill, whose alleged jury interference led to the overturning of his double murder conviction earlier this year. U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel stated that the lawsuit, which sought $600,000 for Murdaugh's legal fees, suffered from a "fatal flaw" because Murdaugh would have been obligated to pay for his defense lawyers regardless of Hill's actions.
"Defendant had no role in the initiation of criminal charges against Plaintiff," Gergel wrote in his order. "Plaintiff liquidated his retirement account to fund his defense, which was necessary without regard to the misconduct of Defendant."
The South Carolina Supreme Court in May vacated Murdaugh's convictions for the murders of his wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, and his younger son, Paul Murdaugh. The court cited Hill's comments to jurors during the trial as "shocking jury interference" that impacted deliberations.
Murdaugh filed the lawsuit against Hill days after the state Supreme Court's ruling. According to Judge Gergel, the lawsuit failed to demonstrate that Hill's conduct was the proximate cause of Murdaugh's need to fund his defense costs. "Simply stated, Defendant's misconduct was not a proximate cause of Plaintiff's need to fund his defense costs, and there is no credible allegation that 'but for' Defendant's actions Plaintiff would not have found it necessary to fund his defense costs in the first trial," Gergel stated.
Judge Gergel dismissed the case without prejudice, allowing Murdaugh the possibility to refile. Murdaugh's attorneys filed a notice of appeal late Wednesday, indicating their intention to seek a reversal of the ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found deceased at the family's Colleton County estate in June 2021. Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of their murders following a six-week trial. He maintains his innocence in their deaths. His new trial on the murder charges is tentatively scheduled to commence on April 5, 2027.