Federal judge dismisses Alex Murdaugh’s lawsuit against former clerk over $600K trial costs

by Colt Yeargin

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Alex Murdaugh against former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, ruling that Murdaugh lacks standing to sue her for the $600,000 he spent on his initial trial.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel tossed out the civil rights lawsuit on Wednesday, stating there is no causal connection between the funds Murdaugh spent to defend himself and Hill’s subsequent jury tampering.

“If Defendant had not engaged in her communications with jurors and had performed her clerk of court duties properly, Plaintiff would have still needed to expend the funds necessary to pay for his defense,” Gergel wrote in a five-page order.

Murdaugh, whose convictions were unanimously overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court on May 13, 2026, due to “shocking jury interference” by Hill, claimed he was forced to liquidate his 401(k) retirement account to fund his six-week murder trial. His lawsuit alleged Hill’s misconduct “caused these funds to be lost.”

Hill had moved to dismiss the case, arguing Murdaugh would have incurred the $600,000 in defense costs regardless of her actions.

Gergel agreed, concluding that Murdaugh failed the threshold constitutional requirement of standing because his financial loss was not “fairly traceable” to Hill’s conduct. Hill had no role in bringing the state murder charges against Murdaugh, which were initiated by a grand jury and prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

The federal dismissal was issued without prejudice, meaning Murdaugh could potentially file a new lawsuit in the future. In his ruling, Gergel noted that Murdaugh “carefully avoided” seeking damages related to his upcoming retrial—a claim the judge said is not yet ripe.

Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. Following the state Supreme Court’s decision to overturn those convictions, the case was remanded back to the state to be retried.