Murdaugh's $4.3M judgment may fund charity for families in need

A $4.3 million confession of judgment signed by suspended and accused South Carolina attorney Richard "Alex" Murdaugh may help fund a future charitable foundation to benefit Hampton County families in need.

Murdaugh has been indicted in a slew of criminal charges and sued in civil court in relation to an insurance fraud scheme involving his late housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who died in 2018 after an incident at his Colleton County estate, Moselle. During a December 2021 bond hearing following his arrest on that matter, among others, Murdaugh agreed to the judgment to benefit those particular victims.

After a court hearing, several months of negotiations with Murdaugh and his attorneys, court-appointed receivers, and other interested parties, the Satterfield and Harriott families announced that the $4,305,000 confession of judgment in favor of Satterfield's heirs, Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott, is now in place and enforceable, according to a statement released Wednesday from Bland Richter LLP, the law firm for the Satterfield estate.

On May 16, Judge Daniel Hall filed an order in Hampton County Court of Common Pleas approving Murdaugh to sign the confession. The confession of judgment was filed in Hampton County court on May 31 containing Murdaugh's signature along with that of two of his alleged victims, Satterfield and Harriot.

The release added that, by this judgment, Satterfield's sons are the "first unopposed judgment creditors of record against Murdaugh," who is currently facing 10 civil suits - nine in state court and one in federal court - following an alleged decade-long, multi-county financial crime spree in which Murdaugh allegedly stole more than $8 million from numerous victims.

Attorney Eric Bland said in the statement that the judgment was both "meaningful and symbolic" for the Satterfield heirs.

Bland said Murdaugh initially denied liability for the $4,305,000 that was stolen from Gloria Satterfield's estate after her death. He said Murdaugh had the "preposterous notion" that he owed no money to the estate.

"By this Judgment, Mr. Murdaugh admits that the allegations contained in the complaint against him are true and admits that he stole the $4,305,000.00 of settlement funds that belonged to Gloria's estate," Bland said. "This sad saga on so many levels is nearing the end for Gloria's family."

Attorneys for Murdaugh did not respond to emails asking for comment on this confession of judgment.

Two South Carolina attorneys, Peter Lay and John McCoy, have been established by the court as co-receivers to take an accounting of Murdaugh's assets, manage them, and create a settlement fund for the various plaintiffs once cases are resolved in civil court.

The Satterfield and Harriot families will now await the outcome of the co-receiver's efforts in collecting money and property from Murdaugh and his alleged associates and will await distribution to all of the judgment creditors and victims, Bland said in the statement.

"The Satterfields and Harriotts were committed to seeing this through the end and holding Alex and all other participants accountable, which they have courageously done," Bland said. "They are now content to let the justice system run its course as intended."

Two previous confessions of judgment that Murdaugh gave in favor of his former law partner Johnny Parker and his brother Randy Murdaugh, who have also sued him for collection of unpaid debts, are still being contested by the plaintiffs.

A portion of any settlement proceeds won by the Satterfield estate will be used to fund a charitable foundation to benefit needy families in Hampton County, the Satterfield attorneys said.

They said more details on the foundation would be provided in a future announcement but that the foundation to benefit underprivileged families in Hampton County would be formed in Gloria Satterfield's honor.

"The family looks forward to thanking all of those who supported and encouraged their bravery in pursuing Alex and others, which they did with a vengeance and with dignity," Bland and attorney Ronald Richter said in the statement. "As we have said all along, Gloria did not die in vain. Her death now had a purpose."

Murdaugh, who is currently facing 82 criminal charges - 79 from the South Carolina State Grand Jury and three local charges - had his license to practice law suspended by order of the state Supreme Court in September 2021 pending the outcome of these criminal and civil matters.