HILTON HEAD, S.C. — Jailed South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh has given up his right to accept any interest in the estate of his late wife, Maggie Murdaugh, according to a document filed Monday in Colleton County Probate Court.
Maggie Murdaugh's stake in "Moselle," the Colleton County property where she and her son were found murdered on June 7, 2021, and in an Edisto Beach house would then fall to her surviving child, Richard Alexander "Buster" Murdaugh Jr.
That is if the move survives a challenge from the multiple creditors seeking funds from the Murdaugh family, which include the family of Mallory Beach, who was killed in a 2019 boat crash involving Murdaugh's son Paul. The legal filing could be interpreted as a way to avoid the property from falling into the hands of those creditors.
Jim Griffin, a Columbia attorney representing Alex Murdaugh, declined to comment. Allendale-based lawyer Mark Tinsley, representing the Beach family, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The legal battle of assets and property has been playing out for months as the Murdaugh family, previously known for its legal dynasty in the Lowcountry, battles a myriad of lawsuits related to Alex Murdaugh's alleged theft of millions from former clients, criminal charges from an alleged faked suicide attempt, and the still unsolved murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.
The document filed Monday is called a qualified disclaimer and invokes a portion of South Carolina law that allows the beneficiary of an estate to disclaim interest in the estate.
In her will, Maggie Murdaugh had left her estate and all of her property to husband, Alex, when she died. Her main asset is the 1,700-acre Moselle property.
The property was listed for $3.9 million by the Crosby Land Company last month with "multiple interested parties," although the listing is still marked as "available."
While Alex has been incarcerated, his brother, John Marvin Murdaugh, has been appointed the personal representative of Maggie's estate, including this piece of land.
John Marvin Murdaugh, reached by phone, said he received a copy of the qualified disclaimer via FedEx on Monday and sent it to his probate attorney, Everett W. Bennett Jr.
"I don't know much about it," he said. "I don't know much about probate law. He is essentially saying 'Listen, I don't want it, pass it along' is how I've understood it. Whatever the court tells me to do, I'm doing it."
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(Reporter John Monk at The State contributed to this article.)
