Disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh has been hit with fresh legal trouble thanks to a personal injury lawsuit filed by an ex-girlfriend of his murdered son.
Morgan Doughty had been dating Paul Murdaugh—who was found shot dead in June 2021 along with his mother, Margaret, in a murder mystery that has captured worldwide attention—when he was involved in a 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
Doughty, who was also on board the boat, is now seeking punitive damages from the estates of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh for the “permanent scarring and disfigurement” she suffered in the disaster, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
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The lawsuit alleges that Maggie Murdaugh spoke to her son shortly before the boat crash and “failed to stop” him from driving despite him being obviously drunk.
She is also accused of having “liked” social media posts that showed her son boozing it up while underage.
The lawsuit accuses both Paul Murdaugh’s parents of negligence for their alleged failure to act on the knowledge that he “would drink to excess and drive vehicles.”
Paul Murdaugh was facing felony charges, including boating under the influence causing death, at the time he was murdered last year, a fact which has caused rampant speculation that the two events may be connected.
Miley Altman, another survivor of the 2019 boat crash, also filed suit against the Murdaughs this week alleging the parents enabled the tragedy because they “knowingly and willfully allowed their minor son to illegally purchase and consume alcohol.”
