Family of former Murdaugh housekeeper reaches settlement with law firm Murdaughs founded

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The attorneys for the estate of Alex Murdaugh’s former family housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, say they’ve reached a settlement with Murdaugh’s former law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, and Detrick (PMPED).

“The Satterfields and the Murdaugh law firm have reconciled their differences,” said the Satterfield estate’s attorney Eric Bland. Bland said he could not comment further.

Bland alleges after Satterfield died, Alex Murdaugh set Satterfield’s children with a lawyer who would help them sue him to get an insurance settlement.

However, Bland and his partner Ronnie Richter say Murdaugh came up with a scheme to pocket the more than $3 million meant for Satterfield’s children.

Bland and Richter have already reached a settlement with the firm and lawyer, Cory Fleming, who originally was set up to help the Satterfields after their mother died.

Bland says they still have pending lawsuits against Alex Murdaugh and Palmetto State Bank.

“We are looking at other culpable parties who did not do their duties or follow regulations to prevent Alex from doing what he did. Many backstops were present, and they failed,” Bland said.

Murdaugh was denied bond last week after being charged with stealing the insurance money meant for the Satterfields.

According to Satterfield’s obituary, she died at the age of 57 on February 26, 2018 at Trident Medical Center. Satterfield died from injuries she sustained from what was called a “trip and fall accident” in insurance settlements at the time.

Murdaugh is the father of Paul Murdaugh, 22; and the husband of Margaret Murdaugh, 52; who were found shot to death at their hunting property in the rural Colleton County community of Islandton on June 7.

SLED confirmed Alex Murdaugh discovered them after they were shot. The Murdaughs were both shot multiple times, investigators confirmed.

Days after the double shooting, the family patriarch, Randolph Murdaugh, died. He was Paul’s grandfather and Alex’s father.

The family has strong connections to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which serves Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper Counties.

Members of the Murdaugh family ran the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office for about 87 years, believed to be the longest consecutive run in American history.

Court documents released after Paul and Maggie’s murders revealed a prior potential conspiracy to shift blame for the deadly 2019 boat crash away from Paul Murdaugh.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating both the double slaying and the weekend shooting incident.

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