A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Alexander Murdaugh seeking to recover $600,000 in legal expenses from the county clerk accused of interfering with the jury in his murder trial.
U.S. District Judge Richard Mark Gergel ruled that Murdaugh lacked standing to sue Rebecca "Becky" Hill because her alleged misconduct did not cause him to incur the costs of defending himself.
Murdaugh would have needed to pay for his defense regardless of Hill’s actions because she did not initiate the murder charges or prosecution, Gergel wrote.
"Simply stated, Defendant’s misconduct was not a proximate cause of Plaintiff’s need to fund his defense costs," the order said.
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The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Murdaugh could seek to file another claim if he can present a legally sufficient theory.
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Murdaugh sued Hill under a federal civil rights law, alleging that her communications with jurors violated his rights under the Sixth and 14th Amendments. He said he liquidated his 401K account before trial and spent $600,000 on his defense.
The South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously overturned Murdaugh’s murder convictions on May 13 and ordered a new trial, finding that Hill’s conduct with jurors amounted to "shocking jury interference."
