Alex Murdaugh's assets will be frozen, managed by court-appointed receiver, SC judge says [The Island Packet (Hilton Head Island, S.C.)]

Nov. 2—Suspended South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh's cash and assets will be frozen and controlled by court-appointed overseers, according to an S.C. judge's order.

"After careful consideration, Plaintiff's Motion for Temporary Injunction and Appointment of Co-Receivers and Co-Receivers' Counsel is granted," wrote state Judge Dan Hall in an two-sentence order filed Tuesday morning in Hampton County.

Exactly how much cash and other assets Murdaugh has control over has been a matter of dispute in his case.

Hall issued the order after hearing arguments from lawyers in Chesterfield County last week. A more complete order spelling out the details apparently will be filed later.

The judge's order came in response to a motion by attorney Mark Tinsley, who represents the estate of Mallory Beach, to appoint receivers to oversee Murdaugh's assets in a pending wrongful death lawsuit in which Beach's estate seeks damages from Murdaugh.

At the hearing, Tinsley asked Hall to appoint attorneys John Lay and Peter McCoy as receivers, or independent representatives who will manage Murdaugh's finances while legal action is underway.

He asked for the receivers because he feared Murdaugh's money would be snapped up or moved around before a decision could be reached on whether Murdaugh should pay damages.

McCoy is a former state House member and former U.S. Attorney for South Carolina. Lay is a Columbia lawyer known for his expertise in complex business, negligence and other litigation.

Tinsley said Tuesday morning, "The Beach family is pleased with the court's ruling and is hopeful that the receivers can begin the process of unraveling the mess created by Murdaugh."

In the wrongful death suit, Tinsley represents the estate of Beach, 19, who was killed in a 2019 nighttime boat crash in which Murdaugh's late son, Paul, was alleged among those responsible. Alex Murdaugh is also a named defendant in that lawsuit.

The suspended Hampton lawyer is the subject of numerous criminal investigations. He faces charges of insurance fraud in an alleged botched suicide attempt and charges of theft in the disappearance of more than $3 million from the estate of his late housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who died of injuries received in a 2019 fall at Murdaugh's house.

On Oct. 19, S.C. Judge Clifton Newman ordered Murdaugh held without bond on the charges of theft pending a psychiatric examination. In denying Murdaugh bond, Newman noted the investigations, the suicide attempt and that the suspended attorney is a recovering opioid addict.

Murdaugh is detained in the Richland County jail.

John Tiller, Murdaugh's attorney, could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Two other lawyers who have lawsuits seeking damages against Murdaugh also filed motions recently supporting Tinsley's efforts.

One of those lawyers, Eric Bland, hailed Judge Hall's order.

"You are seeing our justice system act in a way it's designed to act, to protect victims and people who have been defrauded," Bland said. "Our courts have seen that Alex Murdaugh is a dangerous person with a gun, and now it is seen that he is equally dangerous with the pen."

All the lawyers — Tinsley, Bland, Ronnie Richter and Joe McCulloch — argued in their motions before Hall they did not want funds to disappear in the event Murdaugh would have to pay up in their cases. They sought receivers to approve any spending of Murdaugh's funds in the meantime.

Bland and Richter represent the heirs of Gloria Satterfield, a longtime housekeeper who died of injuries received in a 2018 fall at Murdaugh's house. Murdaugh's insurance paid $4.3 million after the fall, much of which was supposed to go to Satterfield's two sons. But their lawsuit contends all the money was diverted to Murdaugh and two associates.

McCulloch represents Connor Cook, a passenger who is seeking damages after sustaining a broken jaw on Paul Murdaugh's boat when it crashed.

In the last two months, Alex Murdaugh has experienced a stunning fall from grace: Not only has he been charged with crimes, but he also resigned from his family law firm, his law license was suspended, entered drug treatment and became the target of several civil lawsuits. In June, Murdaugh's wife Maggie and son Paul were shot to death at their Colleton County home. No one has been arrested in their killings.

During that period, Tinsley and the other lawyers said they discovered that Murdaugh's assets were being moved around and spent.

— On Sept. 16, Murdaugh signed away power of attorney rights to his son, Buster.

— On Sept. 23, Buster Murdaugh acted on behalf of his father and executed a satisfaction of mortgage with a value of $970,000 for a property in Hampton and Colleton Counties, according to court documents.

— On Oct. 1, Buster Murdaugh used the power of attorney rights to sell his father's share in the Green Swamp Hunt Club for some $250,000, according to Tinsley.

— The Murdaugh family is allegedly attempting to sell a 31-foot, twin-outboard boat for $115,000, court documents show.

— In a lawsuit filed by Murdaugh's brother on Oct. 29, the filing details how Buster Murdaugh sold some of his father's assets to offset debts incurred with Palmetto State Bank and from his father's drug treatment.

This story was originally published November 2, 2021 10:42 AM.

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