Alex Murdaugh's Edisto home to be sold; Hampton County ex-banker facing lawsuit

As suspended South Carolina attorney Richard "Alex" Murdaugh remains jailed in Richland County's Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on a $7 million bond while facing 78 criminal charges, the multiple lawsuits and other legal matters surrounding him continue to play out in civil courts.

Murdaugh is currently facing nine civil suits directly naming him, but there are other ongoing civil actions surrounding his alleged decade-long financial crime spree and a fatal 2019 boat crash involving his family, with new legal developments emerging almost weekly.

Here is the latest:

Attorneys file to sell Murdaugh's Edisto Beach house for nearly $1 million cash

As Murdaugh is facing multiple personal injury suits, and one wrongful death suit, attorneys are seeking to make their alleged victims whole, which means that Murdaugh's assets are up for grabs — including his family's beach getaway.

The first lawsuit filed against Murdaugh was the March 2019 wrongful death suit brought by the estate of Mallory Beach in relation to the Feb. 24, 2019, Beaufort County boat crash in which Murdaugh's son, Paul, was allegedly driving. Beach, 19, was killed in the crash.

In connection to that suit, South Carolina attorneys John T. Lay and Peter M. McCoy Jr. were court-appointed as co-receivers at the request of Beach's attorney, Mark Tinsley. The co-receivers are tasked to determine what Murdaugh's assets are, where they may be allegedly hidden, and control those assets through the creation of a fund for alleged victims and their pending suits.

More coverage of the Murdaugh case:

• Court records show Alex Murdaugh paid for Georgia funeral home; director says loan paid

• Lawyer says private investigator's camera may have captured evidence in Murdaugh homicides

• SLED dispels rumor solicitor led separate investigation into Murdaugh double homicide

On April 26, those attorneys filed a motion in Hampton County Court of Common Pleas asking the court to consider and approve the sale of one of Murdaugh's real estate properties, his family vacation home in Edisto.

The property, located at 3606 Big Bay Drive, Edisto Island, is owned by Murdaugh and the estate of his late wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, as tenants in common. Maggie and the couple's younger son, Paul, were shot and killed in June 2021 in an ongoing criminal case also connected to Murdaugh in which no one has been charged.

After a market analysis and appraisal, and with the consent of the estate, managed by Murdaugh's brother, John Marvin Murdaugh, the Murdaugh Edisto home was listed for sale for $920,000.

On April 12, the estate received an all-cash offer to purchase the house for $955,000, with no conditions except five-days due diligence and 30-days to close the offer. The estate has agreed to the sale, contingent upon court approval.

Palmetto State Bank currently has a mortgage against the Murdaugh Edisto house, with a total payoff of $222,525.35. Palmetto State Bank has agreed to waive interest and late charges and release its mortgage lien upon receipt of $203,329.71.

The co-receivers recommend satisfying Palmetto State Bank’s mortgage with this sale.

A judge has yet to rule on the matter.

Lis pendens filed against Laffitte; lawsuit pending

Murdaugh allegedly used at least two banks in South Carolina to orchestrate his financial schemes, including Palmetto State Bank in Hampton, allegedly stealing more than $8 million from his former clients, partners and other attorneys.

Former Palmetto State bank manager Russell Laffitte is under investigation by the state Supreme Court's Office of Disciplinary Counsel and the state Attorney General's Office in connection to one of the Murdaugh cases. Laffitte was terminated from his position at the bank on Jan. 7, although the bank did not specifically state the reason for his termination.

On April 18, Justin Bamberg, an attorney presenting Pamela Pinckney, individually and as personal representative of the estate of HaKeem Pinckney, and Natarsha Thomas, two of the many alleged victims tied Alex Murdaugh's financial crime charges, filed a lis pendens in Hampton County Court of Common Pleas against Laffitte.

The lis pendens, an official notice to the public that a lawsuit involving a claim on a property has been filed, places a legal claim on six parcels of property totaling just over 20 acres in Hampton County that are owned by Laffitte, including a property with a home at 300 Forest Drive, Varnville, which Laffitte had placed on the public market for sale on or about April 13 for $549,900.

The court filing states that a civil suit will be filed within 20 days in Hampton County and the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.

The filing alleges that Laffitte, while acting as the former CEO of Palmetto State Bank in Hampton and duly appointed conservator tasked with managing the estate and assets of the Pinckneys, received "ill-gotten" conservator fees via monetary payments from his clients' funds by then attorney Murdaugh in excess of $60,000.

Murdaugh allegedly stole in excess of $800,000 from the Pinckneys, according to the lis pendens and indictments from the state Attorney General's Office.

Laffitte's attorneys issued a Jan. 27 statement that he is cooperating with the investigation. Laffitte has not currently been indicted on any charges.

When issuing the January statement, attorneys E. Bart Daniel and Matt Austin, of Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough LLP, added, "Any further comment would be inappropriate due to the confidential nature of the government’s investigation into Alex Murdaugh."

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Murdaugh Edisto home to be sold; Hampton ex-banker facing lawsuit