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by JENN WOOD
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A South Carolina circuit court judge has ordered a change of venue in a contentious lawsuit filed by the family of the late Mallory Beach against convenience store magnate Greg Parker and several private investigators. Judge Keith Kelly has moved the case – filed in connection with a since-settled wrongful death action – from Hampton County to Spartanburg County, concluding years of intense publicity have made it unlikely the parties could receive a fair trial anywhere within the state’s fourteenth judicial circuit.
Kelly granted defendants’ motion to change venue in an eleven-page order filed on Wednesday (August 12, 2026). His order (.pdf) moved the high-profile proceedings approximately 175 miles away from Hampton County – where the case was filed in December 2021.
The so-called “outrage” case is a spinoff of the wrongful death litigation that arose following a fatal February 2019 boat crash that claimed Beach’s life. That litigation was widely viewed as the catalyst that exposed the financial crimes of accused killer, Alex Murdaugh.
Murdaugh’s late son, Paul Murdaugh, was criminally charged in connection with the incident after he allegedly piloted the boat – owned by his father – while under the influence of alcohol.
The present litigation centers on allegations that confidential mediation materials from the Beach case — including graphic postmortem photographs of Mallory Beach — were improperly disclosed despite being subject to a confidentiality order.
“A significant number of residents within these communities maintain direct or indirect connections to individuals involved in those matters, and a great many more hold firmly established, emotionally charged views concerning those individuals and the underlying events,” Kelly wrote in his order.
According to the judge, those views create a substantial likelihood that prospective jurors would struggle to decide the case solely upon the evidence presented at trial. Kelly ultimately concluded that “a fair and impartial trial of the present action cannot be obtained in Hampton County nor the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit.”
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THE UNDERLYING LAWSUIT
The lawsuit was filed by Mallory’s parents, Renee and Phillip Beach, along with Robin Beach, Savannah Tuten and Seth Tuten.
It names Parker’s Corporation founder and CEO Gregory M. Parker, his company, attorneys Blake Greco and Jason D’Cruz — who represented Parker’s interests in the underlying litigation — private investigators Max Fratoddi and Henry Rosado, and Private Investigation Services Group LLC as defendants.
Paul Murdaugh — who was later murdered alongside his mother, Maggie Murdaugh, in June 2021 — had been charged with one felony count of boating under the influence resulting in death and two felony counts of boating under the influence resulting in great bodily injury in connection with the crash. Those charges were dismissed following his death.
The wrongful death litigation targeted members of the Murdaugh family and businesses accused of contributing to Paul’s underage purchase of alcohol, including Parker’s Corporation. That case was ultimately resolved through a settlement in 2023.
The current lawsuit grew out of the wrongful death case. In it, the Beach family accused Parker and the other defendants of participating in a campaign designed to weaken the family’s position in the boat crash litigation and influence public opinion. Among other allegations, the plaintiffs claim the defendants were involved in obtaining or disseminating confidential mediation footage and photographs connected to the case.
The claims against the private investigators include civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The defendants have denied wrongdoing.
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RELATED | Murdaugh Podcaster FOUND in Contempt of Court
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A “FORMIDABLE” BURDEN
Parker, his company, Greco and D’Cruz moved to transfer the case in April 2026. Fratoddi, Rosado and their investigative company later joined the request.
Under South Carolina law, a judge may move a civil case when a fair and impartial trial cannot be held in the county where it was filed. As Kelly acknowledged, defendants seeking a transfer because of publicity or an opponent’s local influence face a “formidable” burden.
The court held a two-day evidentiary hearing on the issue July 6-7, 2026.
To support their motion, the Parker defendants submitted affidavits, media coverage and a public-opinion survey examining potential prejudice in Hampton and Allendale counties. They also presented testimony from former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Rob Waizenhofer concerning what the defense characterized as sustained negative coverage by podcasters Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell and their media company.
The defense also cited a campaign by the podcast encouraging members of the public to “crowd the courthouse.”
The survey, conducted by Rex Repass and Research America Inc., compared responses from Hampton and Allendale counties with those from Spartanburg County.
According to the order:
- Eighty percent of Hampton and Allendale respondents had heard “a great deal” or “a lot” about the Beach wrongful death case.
- Seventy-four percent believed most local residents had already formed opinions about the current lawsuit.
- Sixty-four percent believed local news coverage would influence jurors’ decisions.
- In Spartanburg County, 57 percent did not recall the wrongful death case and 94 percent had heard little or nothing about the current litigation.
Repass concluded the results demonstrated measurable “spillover” prejudice in Hampton and Allendale counties that was not present in Spartanburg County.
The Beach family challenged the survey’s methodology, sampling and reliability. Their attorneys also argued the defense had not met the heavy legal burden required to move the case before first attempting to select an impartial jury.
The plaintiffs further questioned why Spartanburg was selected as the survey’s control location while Colleton, Jasper and Beaufort counties were omitted. Kelly was unpersuaded, finding the plaintiffs offered no evidence rebutting the survey or the defense’s evidence of sustained negative publicity.
The judge also noted deposition testimony showed none of the plaintiffs lived in Hampton County when the complaint was filed — contrary to arguments advanced by their attorneys.
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WHY NOT KEEP IT IN THE CIRCUIT?
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South Carolina’s venue statute generally contemplates moving a case to another county within the same judicial circuit when local prejudice prevents a fair trial.
Kelly found this case warranted going further.
The judge cited South Carolina precedent recognizing courts may transfer a case outside of the circuit when necessary to secure an impartial jury. In his view, the interconnected publicity surrounding the Beach litigation and Murdaugh cases had saturated not only Hampton County, but the broader fourteenth judicial circuit.
The Beach family noted that a previous attempt to move the original boat crash case out of Hampton County was denied.
Kelly distinguished his order from that earlier decision, explaining it was based primarily on witness convenience and the interests of justice — not the inability to seat an impartial jury.
The judge also found much of the publicity central to the present motion occurred after that earlier ruling, including the settlement of the wrongful death case, Murdaugh’s murder trial, the May 2026 reversal of his convictions and what Kelly characterized as an “onslaught” of negative publicity directed at the Parker defendants during the preceding ten months.
Kelly concluded Spartanburg County offered a jury pool less likely to possess extensive knowledge of the case or personal connections to the people involved. He also cited the Spartanburg County courthouse’s facilities, security, parking and ability to accommodate a high-profile trial.
The order does not resolve the Beach family’s allegations – or make any findings about whether the defendants committed the conduct alleged in the complaint. It only determines where those claims will be tried.
Unless successfully challenged, the case will now proceed in Spartanburg County — far removed from the Lowcountry communities where the boat crash, the Murdaugh murders and much of the litigation surrounding both have played out for more than seven years.
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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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