Alex Murdaugh's prison conditions may delay his response to a $4M theft lawsuit filed by housekeeper Gloria Satterfield's family
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA: Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has pleaded with a judge to allow him a time extension to respond to the lawsuit filed by his housekeeper Gloria Satterfield's family who has accused him of stealing insurance settlement money worth nearly $4 million. The late housekeeper reportedly had a mysterious trip and fall death and was found at the bottom of stairs at Murdaugh's property on February 2, 2018.
The case was reopened in the aftermath of the 2021 murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, leading to Murdaugh now being charged with stealing settlement money intended for Satterfield’s two sons. However, the defamed lawyer, who is currently kept in protective custody unit in a maximum security prison, is claiming that the restrictive prison condition is making it difficult to respond to the theft lawsuit. Thus, his attorney has requested additional time until May 1 to respond to the case brought by the insurance company Nautilus, as per RadarOnline.
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Murdaugh has no documents to produce
Murdaugh's lawyer explained that his client was previously in a facility in Columbia, South Carolina. However, he was later moved to a restrictive housing unit within the South Carolina Department of Corrections, “at a prison that cannot be publicly identified because he has been identified as requiring Statewide Protective Custody.” His lawyer stated that Murdaugh “intends to participate fully in this litigation to the extent his carceral circumstances permit. His very recent assignment to a special Restrictive Housing Unit, however, creates logistical complications delaying his ability to do so.” Speaking of the documents, Murdaugh reportedly had no documents to produce and no ability to be deposed within the next 30 days.
Why was Alex Murdaugh sued?
Insurance company Nautilus sued Murdaugh, his lawyer Cory Fleming and the South Carolina law firm Moss & Kuhn in April 2022. The civil lawsuit was previously put on hold due to Murdaugh's ongoing criminal trial at that time. Nautilus claimed that the 54-year-old was paid millions by the company after falling victim to Murdaugh’s alleged fraud and conspiracy. Murdaugh allegedly asked his housekeeper's family to sue him so that he could collect on the policy. He also apparently threatened to sue the company if they did not pay up. However, it was a whole conspiracy constructed by the former attorney to steal millions. It was later learned that none of the funds intended for Satterfield's family were received by them. Murdaugh apparently stole an insurance payout for $3.8 million and another for $500k.