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Alex Murdaugh worked with housekeeper’s family to sue himself

Newly launched paperwork allege that Alex Murdaugh, a once-prominent South Carolina lawyer now embroiled in scandals together with alleged life insurance coverage fraud, coordinated together with his former housekeeper’s household to sue himself for insurance coverage cash that he then pocketed for himself, in keeping with a pair of affidavits launched Saturday.

Murdaugh was arrested Thursday in Florida on suspicion of misappropriating settlement funds in reference to Gloria Satterfield’s dying, authorities stated.

Satterfield, who labored for the Murdaughs for greater than twenty years, died following what was described as “journey and fall accident” on the Murdaugh dwelling in 2018, in keeping with lawyer Eric Bland, who’s representing her property. Bland filed a lawsuit in September towards Murdaugh on behalf of Satterfield’s property looking for the cash they are saying they’re due.

Based on the affidavits launched Saturday by the South Carolina Enforcement Division (SLED), “Mr. Murdaugh coordinated with (Gloria) Satterfield’s household to sue himself in an effort to search an insurance coverage settlement with the said intent to present the proceeds to the Satterfield household to pay for funeral bills and financial compensation for Satterfield’s kids.” Murdaugh deposited greater than practically US$3 million into an account he owned, the affidavits stated.

In an e mail to CNN, Bland disputed SLED’s assertion.

“These have been respectable claims that have been introduced in reference to Gloria Satterfield’s dying,” he wrote.

Satterfield died, he wrote, after Murdaugh’s 4 canine tripped her, and her property made an “acceptable negligence declare.”

“The declare was not fabricated and Alex appropriately referred them to an lawyer,” he wrote. “The property was unaware of the extraordinarily shut relationship although between (Cory) Fleming and Alex Mudaugh which was not totally disclosed.”

CNN has additionally reached out to Murdaugh’s attorneys for touch upon the affidavits. After Murdaugh’s arrest Thursday, his attorneys, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, launched an announcement saying he intends “to totally cooperate with this investigation, as he has with the investigation into the homicide of his spouse and son.

“He deeply regrets that his actions have distracted from the efforts to resolve their murders,” the assertion stated.

Final month, SLED introduced it was opening a legal investigation into Satterfield’s dying and the dealing with of her property, following a request from the Hampton County coroner that highlighted inconsistencies within the ruling of her dying, in addition to data gathered throughout SLED’s different investigations involving Murdaugh, the company stated.

The investigation into Satterfield’s dying follows months of authorized and private challenges for Murdaugh.

In early September, Murdaugh was shot within the head and, authorities stated, later admitted that his taking pictures was a conspiracy with a former consumer to kill him so his solely surviving son might accumulate an insurance coverage payout.

Murdaugh’s taking pictures got here lower than three months after he known as authorities to report he discovered his spouse and youngest son shot useless at their dwelling.

On Friday, Murdaugh waived an extradition listening to in Florida and a day later returned to South Carolina to face expenses associated to the misappropriation of settlement funds in reference to Satterfield’s dying.

The affidavits launched Saturday describes what authorities say occurred after Satterfield’s dying. Murdaugh beneficial an lawyer to the household, and that lawyer brokered insurance coverage settlements of roughly US$4.3 million, one affidavit stated.

A settlement settlement stipulated that US$2,765,000 was for the Satterfield household, the affidavit stated.

“The Satterfield household have been by no means notified of the settlement nor acquired any of the proceeds from them, and the settlement settlement was not correctly filed within the courtroom file,” the affidavit stated.

Murdaugh directed the lawyer to jot down a examine to a checking account created and owned by Murdaugh titled “Forge,” so as “to deprive the Satterfield household of insurance coverage settlements owed to them by changing the US$2,961,911.95 to Mr. Murdaugh’s personal use,” in keeping with the affidavit. He had beforehand deposited US$403,500 to the identical account as a part of a preliminary settlement settlement, in keeping with a second affidavit.

Whereas there’s a respectable firm known as Forge Consulting LLC that handles insurance coverage settlements, it isn’t affiliated with the Satterfield settlement nor the “Forge” account owned by Murdaugh, the affidavit stated.

“Mr. Murdaugh titled the account ‘Forge’ as a misrepresentation in an effort to conceal misappropriation of the funds in query,” the affidavit added.

After Murdaugh waived his extradition listening to on Friday, South Carolina Legal professional Common Alan Wilson introduced Murdaugh’s bond listening to on a cost of acquiring property by false pretenses will happen Tuesday on the Richland County Courthouse in Columbia.

The-CNN-Wire
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