A US federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Alex Murdaugh seeking $600,000 in legal fees from Becky Hill, the former court clerk whose misconduct led to the overturning of his murder convictions on appeal.

Murdaugh sued Hill in May, alleging she violated his right to a fair trial in the case involving the deaths of his wife and son. Although a jury initially found Murdaugh guilty, the state supreme court overturned the convictions and life sentences earlier this year. The court cited Hill’s comments to jurors, which suggested Murdaugh’s guilt and undermined the credibility of his testimony.

However, Judge Richard Gergel ruled on August 5th, 2026, that Murdaugh’s claim was flawed because he would have incurred the legal expenses regardless, as Hill did not investigate or pursue charges against him. "Plaintiff’s claim contains a fatal flaw – the lack of a causal connection between the funds he expended for his defense in the first trial and defendant’s misconduct," Gergel wrote. He added that Hill had no role in initiating the criminal charges.

Murdaugh stated in court documents that he spent $600,000 from a retirement account on his defense in the first trial and will require additional funds for his retrial scheduled for next year. The case has attracted widespread attention, spawning a streaming miniseries, bestselling books, and numerous podcasts.

Despite the overturned murder convictions, Murdaugh remains incarcerated. He pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $12 million from clients and is serving a 40-year federal sentence alongside a 27-year state sentence for financial crimes. Investigators have said Murdaugh was addicted to opioids and, as his fraudulent schemes began to unravel, he killed his wife and son to divert attention and buy time to resolve his problems.

Sources