Motion hearing set for lawsuit involving Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm

HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh and his former law firm are looking to get a lawsuit dismissed that accuses them of taking settlement funds.

Murdaugh, who has been named in multiple lawsuits related to alleged financial crimes, and his former law firm are being accused of not giving their former client, Manuel Santis-Christiani, settlement funds.

Santis-Christiani was a passenger in a Colleton County car crash back on Nov. 4, 2008. The car he was in overturned after the tread separated from the right rear tire.

He sued the driver, the maker of the tire and the car maker, and Santis-Christiani was represented by the Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick law firm.

A couple of years later, PMPED negotiated a settlement with the Ford Motor Company and Michelin North America, Inc. Santis-Christiani claims he does not know how much he won in the settlement and never received that money.

Santis-Christiani also alleges some of that money was put into banks owned by Palmetto State Bank instead of it going to him.

According to the lawsuit, Santis-Christiani is asking for all the settlement funds related to the product liability case with Ford and Michelin, plus punitive and actual damages. Along with PMPED, the lawsuit also names Ronnie Crosby, William Barnes, III, Russell Laffitte and Palmetto State Bank.

The lawsuit was filed in the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit in October of 2022. A jury trial has been demanded in this case, and the motion hearing is set for Monday at 2 p.m.

Murdaugh was convicted of killing his wife and youngest son in early March.

He is currently in statewide protective custody unit of a South Carolina maximum security prison. He was sentenced to two life sentences.