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(NewsNation) – A federal judge in South Carolina has thrown out Alex Murdaugh’s lawsuit against the former public official who improperly advised jurors during his double murder trial.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Gergel ruled Wednesday that Murdaugh cannot seek $600,000 from former Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill to pay for his legal fees because she had nothing to do with the murder charges that were filed against him.
Gergel added, “Plaintiff liquidated his retirement account to fund his defense, which was necessary without regard to the misconduct of (Hill).”
A jury in 2023 found Murdaugh guilty of murdering his wife and son, but the South Carolina Supreme Court earlier this year overturned his convictions and life sentences, citing Hill’s comments to jurors that the disgraced Hampton, S.C., lawyer couldn’t be trusted.
Prosecutors plan to retry Murdaugh next year. He’s serving 40 years in prison for federal financial crimes.
Murdaugh has said in court papers he’ll need more money to pay for a defense at the murder retrial. His attorneys indicated on Wednesday they will appeal Gergel’s ruling.
He is accused of murdering his 52-year-old wife, Margaret Murdaugh, and younger son, Paul, 22. Both were found fatally shot at the family’s hunting estate in 2021.
Even with his murder convictions overturned, Murdaugh remains in prison. He pleaded guilty to stealing around $12 million from his clients and is serving a 40-year federal sentence at the same time as a 27-year state sentence for his financial crimes.
His retrial on the murder charges has been scheduled for April.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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