A South Carolina judge has ordered disgraced attorney-turned-convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh to pay a $500,000 settlement to the family of Mallory Beach through his insurance.
Mallory Beach was 19 years old when she was thrown off the Murdaugh family's boat in February 2019 after Alex's youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, allegedly crashed into a bridge after a night of drinking. Beach's body was found in the water a week later, and several other teenagers were injured in the crash.
Mark Tinsley, the Beach family's attorney, revealed that there was an attempt by Alex Murdaugh to manipulate the settlement process, as he did not want the Beach family to be part of the settlement.
The recent settlement order filed on Oct. 10 was a formality for the Beach family, as the settlement had been reached last summer in their civil lawsuit against Murdaugh and Parker's Kitchen, the convenience store chain that allegedly sold alcohol to Paul on the night of the crash when he was underage.
Parker's was previously ordered to pay $15 million to the Beach family in July 2023. The exact amount of Murdaugh's portion of the settlement remained undisclosed due to his ongoing criminal cases, including his convictions for the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.
Judge Daniel Hall explained in his order that the settlement approval in July 2023 was contingent on Progressive, Murdaugh's liability insurance carrier for the boat, receiving a full release for Alexander Murdaugh. The Beach family attorneys agreed to defer a portion of their fees to facilitate the other settlements at that time.
Following the liquidation of the receivership, Progressive tendered its coverage in exchange for a full release of Mr. Murdaugh, leading to the recent settlement order.
Apart from the recent legal matters, Murdaugh has also been convicted of defrauding vulnerable clients out of millions from his previous work as a personal injury lawyer.
