Alex Murdaugh Hit With Two More Lawsuits Filed By Survivors Of Fatal 2019 Boat Crash Involving His Son

Two new lawsuits have been lodged against Alex Murdaugh and others for the 2019 fatal boat crash involving his slain son, Paul, that left one teenager dead.

Paul had allegedly been piloting the Murdaughs’ boat after a heavy night of drinking when it crashed into a pylon under a bridge, ejecting 19-year-old Mallory Beach. Beach was found dead in the water about a week later.

Paul was later charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence, but he’d never go to trial. Paul and his mother, Maggie Murdaugh, were found shot to death at the family’s Colleton County hunting compound in June, ending the criminal case against him, but the family has still been subjected to a series of lawsuits related to the crash.

The latest suits — filed on behalf of boat passengers Miley Altman and Morgan Doughty — name Murdaugh, his surviving son Buster, who allegedly provided his brother with his ID to purchase alcohol, the estates of Maggie and Paul and Parker’s Corporation, the convenience store chain where Paul purchased the alcohol before the crash, according to the lawsuits obtained by Oxygen.com.

The suits, which are similar in their claims and both filed by attorney Mark Tinsley, allege that Maggie “had actual knowledge that Paul Murdaugh was consuming alcohol while operating the family vehicles” before the fatal crash and had “liked” social media posts where Paul was seen “consuming alcohol as a minor.”

Alex and Maggie also “knowingly and willfully allowed their minor son to illegally purchase and consume alcohol” and Maggie had provided the credit card used on Feb. 23, 2019 to buy the alcohol, according to the lawsuits.

“Paul Murdaugh’s consumption of alcohol was condoned, encouraged and facilitated by Richard Alexander Murdaugh and Margaret Kennedy Branstetter Murdaugh,” the lawsuit alleges.

Just hours before the boat crashed, the suits allege that Maggie “spoke to an intoxicated Paul Murdaugh by telephone” however, she “failed to stop Paul despite knowing he was intoxicated after having paid for the alcohol he consumed earlier.”

The lawsuits allege that by entrusting Paul with the boat, even though they “knew or reasonably should have known” that he would be drinking, “created an appreciable risk of harm to others,” according to the lawsuit.

Buster Murdaugh is also accused of “willfully” providing his brother with his identification and misrepresenting facts to the Department of Motor Vehicles “in order to obtain a duplicate identification to allow Paul Murdaugh to purchase and consume alcohol.”

Once on the boat, the lawsuit states that Paul refused to “stop the boat at the passengers’ request so they could safely get off the boat” and operated the boat in a “reckless and unsafe manner” with “utter disregard for the safety of others.”

Doughty, who had been Paul’s girlfriend at the time, suffered permanent scarring and disfigurement as a result of the crash, according to the lawsuit, and also suffered injuries to her hand and finger.

Altman also suffered injuries to her arm, other parts of her body and suffered some permanent injuries during the crash, according to her suit, WCSC reports.

Both women are seeking actual and punitive damages, costs and attorneys' fees.

Alex Murdaugh is currently facing nine civil lawsuits, including ones previously filed by Beach’s mother and the other two passengers on board the boat that night, Anthony Cook and Connor Cook, according to The Greenville News.

Alex, once a prominent attorney in South Carolina, is also facing a series of lawsuits connected to allegations that he stole more than $8 million from his former clients, attorneys and others, including the family of his long-time housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield.

He’s currently behind bars at the Richland County, South Carolina jail while facing 74 criminal charges against him.

The murders of his wife and youngest son remain unsolved.