Motion alleges Alex Murdaugh violated court order, tried to hide more money

HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A motion filed in a Hampton County court Wednesday alleges that disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh violated court orders by taking action to remove himself from his late wife’s will.

The motion was filed by Peter McCoy Jr. and John Lay Jr., who were appointed by a judge to oversee Murdaugh’s assets when questions arose about him trying to downplay his wealth as he faced mounting charges by victims of his alleged crimes.

Under the terms of the co-receivership, Murdaugh is not allowed to transfer any of his assets — including those he inherits.

The motion claims that Murdaugh violated those condition on March 7 when he filed paperwork in Colleton County Probate Court to remove himself as the heir of Margaret Murdaugh’s Estate, instead transferring the assets to their son, Buster.

McCoy and Lay say that Murdaugh stands to inherit “assets of significant value” from the estate, which they assume he is trying to shield from being used to pay his debts:

“Based on the Receivers’ investigation thus far, it is apparent that Alex Murdaugh likely has significantly more creditors and larger debts than Buster Murdaugh. While the Receivers have not spoken to Alex Murdaugh regarding the Disclaimer, the Receivers suspect that the Disclaimer was made with the belief that Buster Murdaugh’s debts would be less than those of Alex Murdaugh and thus the assets from Maggie Murdaugh’s Estate would be shielded from Alex Murdaugh’s creditors.”

McCoy and Lay asked the court to void Murdaugh’s disclaimer of the estate and sanction Murdaugh for violating the terms of the receivership.