Disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh filed a civil rights lawsuit Sunday against Rebecca “Becky” Hill, the former Colleton County court clerk accused of improperly influencing the jury that convicted him in the 2021 murders of his wife and son.
The suit, lodged in U.S. District Court in South Carolina, seeks compensatory and punitive damages after the state Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh’s double murder convictions and life sentence four days earlier. The high court ruled that Hill’s actions denied Murdaugh a fair trial through “improper external influences on the jury.”
“Mr. Murdaugh brings this action to hold Ms. Hill accountable for her wrongful conduct under color of state law and to recover compensatory and punitive damages as provided by law,” the complaint states. Murdaugh’s legal team claims he suffered $600,000 in monetary damages from Hill’s alleged conduct and is also seeking attorney’s fees and costs.
Hill’s attorney, Will Lewis, was not immediately available for comment. Murdaugh’s defense attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin are scheduled to discuss the filing at a press conference Monday afternoon.
Murdaugh, once a prominent personal injury lawyer from a well-known South Carolina legal family, was convicted in March 2023 of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime in the June 2021 slayings of his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and their 22-year-old son, Paul Murdaugh. Prosecutors argued he committed the killings to generate sympathy and divert attention from his financial crimes.
He has consistently maintained his innocence. “He maintained his innocence then. He maintains his innocence now,” the lawsuit reads. Murdaugh remains incarcerated on separate state and federal sentences totaling 67 years for financial crimes to which he pleaded guilty.
Hill, who oversaw jury matters during the high-profile trial, pleaded guilty last year to criminal charges involving showing sealed court exhibits to a photographer and lying about it under oath. She received a one-year probation sentence. While acknowledging other mistakes, Hill has denied any improper influence on the jury. “There is no excuse for the mistakes I made. I’m ashamed of them,” she told the court.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, whose office prosecuted the murder case, said his team was unaware of Hill’s alleged conduct at the time and described the actions as inappropriate yet ultimately harmless. Wilson strongly disagreed with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the convictions and vowed to retry the case by year’s end.
“In light of the Supreme Court’s decision, we’re back to square one on this case, and that means all our legal options are on the table, including the death penalty,” Wilson told NBC News.
The trial itself became a national sensation, spawning numerous documentaries and podcasts. Hill later co-wrote a book about the proceedings titled “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders,” which reportedly generated about $100,000 in profits. Co-author Neil R. Gordon confirmed that Hill and her husband received 65 percent of those proceeds.
The lawsuit marks the latest development in a case that has drawn intense scrutiny to the South Carolina justice system. Murdaugh’s team argues Hill’s role as court clerk gave her unique access to influence jurors during deliberations, a claim the Supreme Court found credible enough to vacate the convictions.
Legal observers note that the civil suit could proceed independently of any criminal retrial. Murdaugh’s attorneys are expected to elaborate on their strategy at Monday’s press conference.