Could Mallory Beach wrongful death suit move from Hampton County due to Murdaugh ties?

Even as Hampton County officials brace themselves and prepare for an internationally followed media circus, attorneys for Gregory M. Parker and Parker's Corporation filed new motions late Friday seeking to have this hotly contested civil suit moved entirely out of the 14th Judicial Circuit, and once again asking the courts to give them a trial separate from co-defendant Alex Murdaugh.

The trial, centered around the 2019 boating death of Mallory Beach in Beaufort County, was scheduled for Aug. 14 in Hampton County Court of Common Pleas, but if these motions are approved those plans may be derailed.

On Friday afternoon, attorneys for Parker's filed two motions: a motion requesting a change of venue "in order to ensure Parker’s ability to obtain a fair and impartial trial," and a second motion to sever for the same reasons.

Parker's motions argue that by being "tethered" to Alex Murdaugh in this wrongful death suit, a jury is more likely to find them liable, considering Murdaugh's extensive criminal and civil allegations.

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Citing the "local, regional, national, and international interest and focus of the Murdaugh family," the venue motion states that “The entire jury venire in Hampton County, South Carolina likely will be aware of the Murdaugh name, family, and news surrounding them.. In this Court’s opinion, the vortex of litigation surrounding the Murdaughs “involve[s] potentially the most reactionary and publicized proceedings in the history of the South Carolina judiciary and legal system.”

The motion does not request a specific venue, just anywhere "outside the 14th Judicial Circuit."

Attached to the motion is an affidavit from a Hampton County citizen, identified as Gerald Brant, that states that it would not be possible to find an impartial juror anywhere in Hampton County, adding that "Anyone that is involved with the Murdaughs in any trial is going to be stained by that involvement."

The motion to sever is almost identical to a previous motion to sever filed by Parker's, but denied by Judge Daniel Hall.

While the motions have not been electronically posted on the state court website, attorneys for both Parker's and the Beach family confirmed the filings, and Beach attorney Mark Tinsley provided unstamped copies by email to The Hampton County Guardian.

The Beach wrongful death suit was first filed in March 2019 in Beaufort County but later refiled in Hampton County, after Mallory Beach, 19, of Hampton County died in a boat crash involving Murdaugh's boat and his allegedly intoxicated son, Paul Murdaugh. Murdaugh is accused of allowing his underaged son to drink and operate his boats, and Parker's is accused of illegally selling alcohol to the underaged boaters.

This is a developing story, and more information, including attorney reactions, will be updated as available.

Hampton County Guardian Editor Michael DeWitt, the Greenville News and USA TODAY Network will continue to follow the ongoing criminal and civil cases surrounding the Murdaugh crime saga. Follow DeWitt on Twitter at @mmdewittjr and support his local and national journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Motion filed to move Beach wrongful death suit out of 14th Circuit