MORNING NEWSBREAK | Richard “Buster” Murdaugh, the 30-year-old surviving son of disbarred Lowcountry attorney and convicted killer Alex Murdaugh, has filed a defamation lawsuit in Hampton County against multiple media outlets.
Murdaugh’s allegations center around several documentaries and stories published that he claims attempted to link him to the 2015 death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, who was found dead on a road near the Murdaugh family estate.
Murdaugh, remembered by many for his red hair, claims multiple media companies, including Warner Bros, Netflix and Gannett Co., and Hampton County Guardian editor Michael DeWitt Jr. falsely accused him of being involved in Smith’s death. Murdaugh seeks actual and punitive damages plus lawsuit costs.
The lawsuit claims Murdaugh’s reputation has been “irreparably damaged, and he has suffered mental anguish” due to “reckless conduct of the defendants in falsely accusing him of being involved in the murder of Stephen Smith,” according to court documents.
The suit lists Blackfin, Inc., Warner Bros, Discovery, Inc., Warner Media Entertainment Pages, Inc., Campfire Studio, Inc., The Cinemart LLC, Netflix, Inc., Gannett Co., Inc., and Michael M. DeWitt, Jr., as defendants.
According to reports, no one has ever named any of the Murdaughs as suspects in connection with Smith’s death.
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