Embattled South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh is facing a new lawsuit alleging he attempted to blame an innocent teen for the fatal boat crash his drunken son caused.
In the suit filed on Monday, 21-year-old Connor Cook said the drug-addicted attorney tried to “orchestrate a campaign” to have him “held criminally and civilly responsible for the boat accident.”
Cook is seeking unspecified compensation in the lawsuit and is asking for a trial by jury.
Murdaugh’s son Paul, 22, was scheduled to go to trial over the 2019 boating accident when he was found shot to death with his mother in June. The crash killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
Cook was injured during the accident. His body struck the boat frame, and he suffered fractures to his jaw and cuts to his face.
The lawsuit alleges that Murdaugh encouraged Cook to retain an attorney with a conflict of interest in the case, which was not disclosed. The attorney was Paul’s godfather and Murdaugh’s best friend and former college roommate.
The lawsuit also names Buster Murdaugh for allowing his younger brother to use his ID to purchase alcohol. Both the store and the store’s employee who sold the alcohol to Paul are also named in the suit.
Murdaugh is currently in rehab for opioid addiction while out on bail for hiring someone to kill him, so his surviving son, Buster, would be the beneficiary on a $10 million life insurance policy. He is facing insurance fraud charges, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and filing a false police report.
The murder of Murdaugh’s wife and son remains unsolved. His attorneys maintain he was not involved.
