Judge Rules Former Court Clerk Not Liable for Alex Murdaugh’s Trial Legal Fees
A federal judge in South Carolina ruled that a former court clerk, Becky Hill, is not responsible for Alex Murdaugh's $600,000 in legal fees from his first murder trial. Murdaugh had sued Hill, claiming her misconduct led to his convictions…
Tampa St. Petersburg, FL, August 5, 2026 —
A federal judge in South Carolina has determined that former court clerk Becky Hill is not responsible for covering the $600,000 in legal fees incurred by Alex Murdaugh during his initial murder trial. The ruling comes after Murdaugh had sued Hill, alleging that her misconduct during the trial process led to the eventual overturning of his convictions.
However, U.S. District Judge Donald Coggins found no direct causal link between Hill’s alleged actions and the legal expenses Murdaugh accrued for that specific trial. Murdaugh’s legal team had argued that misconduct by Hill resulted in the vacating of his murder convictions, thereby making her liable for the associated costs.
The judge’s decision means that Becky Hill will not have to pay the substantial legal fees that Murdaugh sought in his lawsuit. The specifics of the alleged misconduct by Hill were central to Murdaugh’s claim, but the court ultimately did not find sufficient evidence to establish responsibility for the trial’s legal costs.
Alex Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of the murders of his wife, Margaret, and son, Paul, at their Colleton County home. His legal team subsequently appealed the convictions. While Murdaugh’s lawyers had sought to have the convictions overturned, citing issues including alleged misconduct by the court clerk, the appeal process is ongoing separately from this civil suit regarding legal fees.
The ruling on the $600,000 in legal fees represents a distinct legal matter from the status of Murdaugh’s murder convictions themselves. The judge’s finding focuses solely on whether Hill’s actions directly caused the need for Murdaugh to incur those specific legal expenses related to his first murder trial.
Story summarized from the original created by AP via Scripps News Group on www.tampabay28.com, see more information here.
