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by JENN WOOD
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A federal judge has dismissed accused killer Alex Murdaugh‘s civil rights lawsuit against disgraced former Colleton County clerk of court Rebecca “Becky” Hill, ruling that Murdaugh – the central figure in the so-called ‘Trial of the Century’ in South Carolina – failed to establish the legal standing necessary to pursue damages tied to the cost of his original murder trial.
In an order issued Wednesday (August 5, 2026), U.S. district court judge Richard Gergel granted Hill’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice, concluding Murdaugh failed to show Hill’s admitted jury misconduct caused the financial injury alleged in his complaint.
The ruling (.pdf) represents an early procedural victory for Hill – but stops short of foreclosing future litigation arising from Murdaugh’s retrial.
Murdaugh filed the lawsuit in May after the S.C. supreme court unanimously overturned his murder convictions, finding Hill engaged in what the justices described as “shocking jury interference.”
The complaint, brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleged Hill violated Murdaugh’s Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights by improperly communicating with jurors during his six-week murder trial. As damages, Murdaugh sought to recover approximately $600,000, claiming he liquidated his 401(k) retirement account to pay for his legal defense during the original trial and that Hill’s misconduct caused those funds to be lost.
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Hill moved quickly to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing Murdaugh would have incurred those defense costs regardless of any misconduct on her part because he still had to defend himself against the murder charges.
Judge Gergel agreed.
In the five-page order, the court found Murdaugh’s claim suffered from what it called a “fatal flaw” — the absence of a causal connection between Hill’s misconduct and the money Murdaugh spent defending himself at trial.
According to the order, Hill had no role in initiating the murder prosecution.
Instead, Murdaugh was indicted by a state grand jury and prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Regardless of Hill’s later misconduct, the court reasoned, Murdaugh still would have needed to hire attorneys and fund his defense.
“Simply stated,” Gergel wrote, “Defendant’s misconduct was not a proximate cause of Plaintiff’s need to fund his defense costs.”
Because Murdaugh could not demonstrate his claimed financial injury was “fairly traceable” to Hill’s actions, the court concluded he lacked Article III standing to pursue the claim in federal court.
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RELATED | ALEX MURDAUGH SUES BECKY HILL IN FEDERAL COURT
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DISMISSED—BUT NOT NECESSARILY OVER
Murdaugh urged the court to follow a Ninth Circuit decision permitting criminal defendants to recover attorney’s fees after being subjected to prosecutions initiated without probable cause. Judge Gergel rejected that comparison, finding the circumstances materially different.
Unlike those cases, Hill did not initiate the criminal prosecution against Murdaugh. Instead, the alleged constitutional violation occurred during an already pending murder trial. Even if Hill had never improperly communicated with jurors, Gergel concluded, Murdaugh still would have incurred the costs of defending himself against the charges.
While Hill prevailed on her motion to dismiss, the ruling does not necessarily end the federal litigation. The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Murdaugh is not barred from pursuing other claims if he can establish a legally sufficient basis to do so.
In a notable footnote, Gergel observed that Murdaugh “carefully avoided” seeking damages related to his upcoming retrial because such a claim is not yet ripe. The judge further emphasized that nothing in the order should be construed as expressing any opinion on “the possible merit or lack of merit” of claims Murdaugh may later assert based on damages arising from the retrial itself.
For now, however, the court has concluded that the approximately $600,000 Murdaugh spent defending himself during his original murder trial cannot be recovered from Hill because those expenses would have been incurred regardless of her misconduct.
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THE ORDER…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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SOUND OFF…
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