Housekeeper's sons: Murdaugh making 'naked attempt' to shift blame

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The attorneys for the sons of Gloria Satterfield, the longtime housekeeper of the Murdaugh family who died in 2018, filed a new court document on Monday slamming Alex Murdaugh for what they call a “naked attempt to shift liability” in his federal fraud lawsuit.

Nautilus Insurance Company is suing Murdaugh and others, including Palmetto State Bank (PSB), after a $4.3 million settlement was paid out in Satterfield’s death. Murdaugh is accused of stealing the money from Satterfield’s sons.

Last week, Murdaugh’s defense team filed new court documents related to their push to have Satterfield’s sons named as parties in the federal lawsuit. They argue that the insurance company should look to Satterfield’s sons to recover the money.

“Yes, the Satterfield Parties are victims who were cruelly abused by a man they trusted, but no, the fact that he used them as unknowing pawns in his insurance fraud scheme does not give them a legal entitlement to any proceeds of the fraud,” Murdaugh’s defense wrote.

The filing came the same week that a judge denied Murdaugh’s motion to rescind the $4.3 million confession of judgment awarded to the Satterfield family.

Monday’s reply by the Satterfield legal team asked the court to deny the latest request in the Nautilus lawsuit.

“Murdaugh’s continued harassment and forcing the Satterfield sons to spend attorney’s fees and costs in having to defend against his naked attempt to shift his liability for his fraud and theft should end here now,” wrote Bland Richter, the law firm representing them.

For more on the Murdaugh cases and other related coverage, visit our Tangled Web: Lowcountry section.