Alex Murdaugh Faces Possible Disbarment By South Carolina Supreme Court

The South Carolina Supreme Court is seeking to revoke the law license of jailed legal scion Alex Murdaugh.

The state’s top court intends to disbar the embattled 54-year-old lawyer, who is currently facing 71 charges related to alleged financial crimes and accusations he swindled upwards of $8.5 million in wrongful death and wreck settlements from more than a dozen people, the Associated Press reported.

Last June, Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son, Paul, were gunned down at the family’s Colleton County estate. More than a year later, no arrests have been made in the unsolved double killing. The murders, however, prompted multiple probes against Murdaugh and his family, ultimately leading to his arrest and several indictments. His legal team has maintained Murdaugh had no involvement in the deaths of his wife and son.

For nearly a century, Murdaugh’s family has dominated South Carolina’s legal landscape. His father, grandfather, and great grandfather were the elected prosecutors for 87 consecutive years, per the Associated Press.

Murdaugh formerly worked for the law firm his family founded. In September, he was accused of orchestrating a  “systemic scheme” to defraud clients over a number of years. His former law firm sued Murdaugh in September over the allegations.

The embattled lawyer’s assets were previously frozen by a South Carolina judge. Last year, the FBI also said it was investigating Murdaugh’s suspected financial crimes.

The judge reviewing Murdaugh’s legal license also pointed to his alleged filing of a false police report in 2021, as well as fraud, after authorities say he hired a man to kill him so his surviving son could cash in on a $10 million insurance policy. Family associate, Curtis Edward Smith, allegedly opened fire on Murdaugh as he changed a tire on a roadside. The bullet, however, only grazed Murdaugh and he survived. His lawyers at the time said he was battling a lifelong opioid addiction.

The mysterious death of the family’s longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield is also being reviewed. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced earlier this month they plan to exhume her body to re-examine her remains in connection. Satterfield died in February of 2018 after suffering a fall at the family’s home.

Before any decision was made regarding Murdaugh’s law license, he was requested by the state’s Supreme Court to appear in court next Wednesday to argue against his potential disbarment.

His lawyer Jim Griffin previously told reporters Murdaugh didn’t intend to fight the ruling. However, it was unclear if he still had to attend the upcoming hearing, according to the Associated Press.

Griffin didn’t immediately respond to Oxygen.com’s request for comment regarding the matter on Friday morning.

Murdaugh is being held on a $7 million bond.