Disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh sues Rebecca “Becky” Hill, the old court clerk who would have interfered with the jury who found him guilty of the murders of his wife and son in 2023.
The civil rights lawsuit filed Sunday in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina comes four days after state’s highest court overturns Murdaugh’s double murder convictions and a life sentence, claiming he was denied his right to a fair trial because of Hill’s “inappropriate outside influences on the jury.”
“Mr. Murdaugh brings this action to hold Ms. Hill accountable for her wrongful conduct under color of state law and to obtain compensatory and punitive damages as provided by law,” the lawsuit states.
In the lawsuit, Murdaugh’s legal team claims he suffered $600,000 in damages as a result of Hill’s actions. The team also said Murdaugh was entitled to recovery of attorney’s fees and costs.
Hill’s attorney, Will Lewis, was not immediately available for comment on the lawsuit.
Murdaugh’s defense team, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, are expected to comment on the trial at a news conference Monday afternoon.
Murdaugh, a former personal injury attorney, was convicted two years ago for the June 2021 murders of his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and their 22-year-old son, Paul Murdaugh. The trial attracted so much national attention that it became a full-blown criminal phenomenon, the subject of countless documentaries and podcasts over the years.
In that case, prosecutors accused Murdaugh of committing the murders to gain pity and distract from financial crimes that threatened to derail his public reputation.
The jury found Murdaugh guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He had pleaded not guilty.
From a prominent South Carolina legal dynasty, Murdaugh has denied killing his wife and youngest son since their bodies were discovered on their property.
In the complaint filed Sunday, Murdaugh’s legal team claims: “He maintained his innocence then. He maintains his innocence now.”
Hill pleaded guilty last year to criminal charges for showing sealed exhibits to a photographer and lying about them in court. She was sentenced to one year of probation. But she denied unduly influencing the jury.
“There is no excuse for the mistakes I made. I am ashamed of them,” Hill said in a brief statement to the court.
During Murdaugh’s murder trial, Hill was tasked with overseeing the jury. People in this administrative role are typically responsible for bringing jurors into the courtroom and passing notes between the panel and the court during deliberations.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said his office, which prosecuted Murdaugh, was unaware of Hill’s alleged behavior during the trial and called the alleged behavior inappropriate but ultimately harmless.
Wilson disagreed with the South Carolina Supreme Court’s decision overturning Murdaugh’s convictions and pledged to retry the case by the end of the year.
“In light of the Supreme Court’s decision, we are back to square one in this case, and that means all of our legal options are on the table, including the death penalty,” Wilson told NBC News.
However, Murdaugh stay behind bars to concurrent sentences of 27 years and 40 years for state and federal financial crimes to which he pleaded guilty.
Neil R. Gordon, who co-wrote “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders” with Hill about the case, confirmed to NBC News that the book generated about $100,000 in profit. Gordon said Hill and her husband received 65 percent of the profits from the book, while he and his wife received 35 percent.
Gordon has not commented on Murdaugh’s lawsuit against Hill.
