SC - Gloria Satterfield, Murdaugh family housekeeper, 2018 Trip & Fall Insurance Fraud

[Gardenista]

I'm not comfortable with this.

I appreciate the legal work EB did for his client (Tony S., et al was referred by Tinsley) but not interested in EB's ongoing marketing campaign. Yesterday, he showed us his brand-new offices he'll be moving to soon! Enough... JMO

Overexposure is a thing and, IMO, this guy hit that about 4 weeks ago.

 

[Seattle1]

Relative to skull injuries (and the heart), this from another report unrelated to GS:

Doctors with the University of Utah Hospital wrote online head injuries bleed a lot due to the number of blood vessels in the head. They say about 20% of the blood that flows from the head to the heart connects to the brain.

The blood vessels are vulnerable to injury associated with trauma due to their location.

“Your scalp can bleed profusely from even a minor cut. Many tiny arteries and veins serve the individual muscles and skin on your head,” doctors and researchers with the university said. “Some of these blood vessels lie deep within your skull, while other superficial arteries and veins are quite close to the surface of your skin.”

An emergency physician at the University of Utah Hospital, Dr. Troy Madsen, wrote, “even small lacerations to the head can lead to very large amounts of bleeding.”

Alex Murdaugh did not show signs of visible head injury during Thursday bond hearing

HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Alex Murdaugh did not show any signs of visible injury when he appeared in a Hampton County bond court Thursday on charges connected to a botched attempted suicide plo…

www.counton2.com

 

[arielilane]

I am by no means defending "EB" as I do not know him or his business practice.

This is my two cents.

EB created a brand. His brand is himself. He is marketing his brand. I may be incorrect.

It's a lot of how it's done nowadays.
If he has already done so, next he will probably patent "EB" or something.

I have confidence in TS to make wise decisions. Didn't he initially see through AM concerning not receiving any money? I recall reading something about that previously.

 

[Seattle1]

I am by no means defending "EB" as I do not know him or his business practice.

This is my two cents.

EB created a brand. His brand is himself. He is marketing his brand. I may be incorrect.

It's a lot of how it's done nowadays.
If he has already done so, next he will probably patent "EB" or something.

I have confidence in TS to make wise decisions. Didn't he initially see through AM concerning not receiving any money? I recall reading something about that previously.

I respectfully disagree that "branding" is not governed by professional ethics.

There’s one key difference, however, between marketing legal services and other services. State Bars impose significant – and sometime onerous – regulations on marketing legal services. Attorneys and their law firms must be cautious in their marketing efforts as non-complaint materials may invite sanctions – or worse. For this reason, lawyers must always engage in ethical and truthful marketing practices, avoiding improper or misleading marketing tactics.

Marketing Ethics for Attorneys: 2021 and Beyond | Lexicon Legal Content

Attorneys and law firms need to ensure that their marketing materials are complaint with Bar adverstising rules. Click to learn more.

www.lexiconlegalcontent.com

 

[arielilane]

(NewsNation) - Alex Murdaugh's legal probes continue as the 2018 death of his housekeeper is re-examined. But the attorney for the housekeeper's estate is not convinced she was killed.

"We do not believe she was murdered, or intentionally pushed down the stairs, and I say that because she helped raise Paul and Buster. And Paul loved her dearly," said Satterfield's family attorney Eric Bland on "NewsNation Live."

Gloria Satterfield died in Feb. 2018, weeks after falling down the stairs on Murdaugh's property. The Murdaugh family told Satterfield's sons she tripped over the four family dogs and died as a result of her injuries. An autopsy was never performed.

Now, South Carolina Law Enforcement (SLED) investigators say they want to exhume Satterfield's body after a jury found Murdaugh guilty of killing his wife and 22-year-old son.

 

[Seattle1]

I don't think this has ever been published before

Also, wondering if there's a deposition published somewhere or similar recordings by MM and PM citing their recollection of the events when GS fell?

I caught this summary post at the end of a prior Murdaugh thread after it was closed and could not verify it.

I'm also pw from Fitsnews but would actually prefer a different source .

GUILTY - SC - Paul Murdaugh & mom Margaret Found Shot To Death - Alex Murdaugh Accused - Islandton #40

Here is an article, not sure if it's the most recent though concerning illegal transfer. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/lawyers-argue-murdaugh-sold-moselle-land-to-wife-illegally-family-must-turn-over-to-court/ar-AAYqz2v Arguments the Moselle property sale was fraudulent come from...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Napoli]

A crushed skull, 12 broken vertebrae and broken ribs from a slip and fall going up the stairs?

From a $505K settlement, the attorneys would take about $200,000. Medical expense for 3 weeks of hospitalization could easily be another $200K, costs could be another $10K, so telling them they would get about $100K from that insurer isn't odd.

Did they know nothing about the umbrella policy?

Maybe Paul told Maggie about the stash of pills Gloria found.

I wish i knew how many brick stairs she fell down. People often fall a$$ over tea kettle, so it isnt impossible to bang one part or side of your body on a couple of steps then the other, depending on how you fell, height of stairs, and what was it she landed on. Concrete, more bricks or brick pavers...She fell up the stairs? Then wouldnt her whole torso have been banging against the stairs? They need a physicist at the trial to explain motion..did she fall backwards? That would be pretty traumatic on multiple areas of her body and she probably didnt fall STRAIGHT backwards...again height and material she eventually landed on would contribute to severity, i would think.

 

[Seattle1]

I wish i knew how many brick stairs she fell down. People often fall a$$ over tea kettle, so it isnt impossible to bang one part or side of your body on a couple of steps then the other, depending on how you fell, height of stairs, and what was it she landed on. Concrete, more bricks or brick pavers...She fell up the stairs? Then wouldnt her whole torso have been banging against the stairs? They need a physicist at the trial to explain motion..did she fall backwards? That would be pretty traumatic on multiple areas of her body and she probably didnt fall STRAIGHT backwards...again height and material she eventually landed on would contribute to severity, i would think.

In the 911 call, MM is asked how many steps to the door and she replied 8 brick steps. In AM's audio interview posted up-thread, he says GS's feet were resting on the 2nd step and she was on her side at the bottom landing.

 

[Napoli]

Local Island Packet reports:

Nov 30, 2021

— On Feb. 26, 2018, Satterfield died at the hospital after an “acute subdural hemorrhage” due to a stroke, her death certificate states.

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article256225327.html

Ok..she had a stroke..she fell.. on 8 brick stairs,..then pneumonia set in. Not sure there's any mystery here....

 

[gremlin444]

I'm going to reserve judgement on Eric Bland and Tony Satterfield's media appearance tonight. Here's why:

Yes, Eric is loud. He's boisterous. He can be obnoxious. Bland and Richter are bad cop/good cop. Yes, he makes money--his firm specializes in legal, medical, and professional malpractice suits (which tend to have big monetary awards for damages). I wish I could find the article I saw that compared the cut Bland & Richter got from the Satterfield settlement and other similar cases, because it put it pretty much in the normal range--and no, it wasn't a PR piece from Bland/Richter. And yes, Eric was all over the tv shows during the trial--discussing things with knowledge of what it's like to be a South Carolina prosecuting attorney, as opposed to defense attorneys from the coasts.

Tony Satterfield is a grown adult. He's very religious. Testifying in Alex's case was one of the few chances (he had done a group interview in the past where mainly his aunt and uncles spoke) where he got the opportunity to speak the truth and tell his story....and Harpootlian literally called him a child, insulted him, and insinuated that since Bland/Richter were able to get him and his brother they money they were due (and even more than what they were originally owed) that he had no right to complain about Alex.

I get the feeling that Tony wants to be able to speak out in a place where he won't be patted on the head and treated like he's 10. And he deserves that right. He also speaks for his brother, who is not able to do so for himself.

We'll see how it goes.

 

[gremlin444]

Ok. Well, that was kind of a mess of a segment on Cuomo. I don't think Tony really had any experience with that kind of 3 way interview via teleconferencing. I also don't think Cuomo understands that it isn't Gloria's family who are requesting she be exhumed---it is SLED. The Satterfield family said they were agreeing to it not because they wanted it for their own sake but because they know that SLED will just go get a court order. So Cuomo was asking the wrong questions. And I don't think Cuomo paid much attention to Tony's testimony during the trial--by the way he asked questions it is clear to me that he was expecting someone far more verbose and rapid fire in their responses than Tony.

In general, I do think Eric could have predicted that Cuomo would have the wrong focus and that he should have either denied the interview request or postponed it and done some more practice with Tony for a teleconferencing interview.

 

[aafromaa]

As usual, I’m behind on this thread and hope to catch up when I have more time. Forgive me if these questions have already been discussed.

1) Didn’t SLED get the family’s permission to exhume GS’ body in June of 2022? If so, why wasn’t that done in these past 9 months? And is SLED bringing this up again now or is it coming up again because of something the Satterfield said in court or in an interview?

2) It is my opinion that it was a slip and fall and AM took advantage of a situation he did not actually cause. But so much is being made of it that I have to wonder if there is more info out there than I’m aware of. Is there any reason to believe it was not an accident?

3) AM told LE that he was at work when it happened but he got to the house before EMS which was about 16 min after the 911 call if I remember correctly. Is there any info out there to suggest that AM may have been at the house when it happened?

4) If it was not an accident but murder and if AM was found to have done it…would that not mean the insurance company was not legally required to pay anything? Or since it was a settlement as opposed to a verdict would that mean they have no recourse? I would think it likely they would not pursue the Satterfield family simply for publicity reasons. But would they have a suit against AM & the other attorney involved?

Just trying to catch up - thank you WSers for any info you can share to help me do so.

 

[Ceska]

I hope they exhume her body, things don't add up, in my opinion. Multiple, severe injuries like she had just seem pretty inconsistent for a trip and fall while ascending a stairway of that size. Alex took out a commercial insurance policy just weeks prior to her accident, I don't think that is coincidence. SLED also seems to realize this.

Edited to add, I was doing some more online reading and saw this...
"But her death was never reported to the coroner. And no autopsy was performed.".

How did Gloria Satterfield die? Authorities plan to exhume body of longtime Murdaugh housekeeper

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division plans to exhume the body of longtime Murdaugh housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, an attorney confirmed Friday.

www.wjcl.com

 

[Tippy Lynn]

I hope they exhume her body, things don't add up, in my opinion. Multiple, severe injuries like she had just seem pretty inconsistent for a trip and fall while ascending a stairway of that size. Alex took out a commercial insurance policy just weeks prior to her accident, I don't think that is coincidence. SLED also seems to realize this.

Edited to add, I was doing some more online reading and saw this...
"But her death was never reported to the coroner. And no autopsy was performed.".

How did Gloria Satterfield die? Authorities plan to exhume body of longtime Murdaugh housekeeper

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division plans to exhume the body of longtime Murdaugh housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, an attorney confirmed Friday.

www.wjcl.com

She fell on Feb 2 and died in the hospital on Feb 26th. She died after suffering a stroke in the hospital. If there wasn't an investigation of her fall at the time of her death there wouldn't be reason for hospital staff to inform the coroner or to have an autopsy. jmo

 

[Ceska]

Here's the problem...she could have had a TIA (mini stroke) those are not detectable on any imaging...then fell. She COULD have had an attack of vertigo. if anyone here has had true vertigo, you are powerless. BANG! ON THE GROUND. The subsequent stroke later in her hospitalization would lend credence to a prior transient cardio -vascular accident causing the fall. JMO

No sign of TIA in any reports I have seen about her death/injuries (TIA would show up on MRI scan).

 

[Napoli]

No sign of TIA in any reports I have seen about her death/injuries (TIA would show up on MRI scan).

When a patient presents with a head injury, and is also suffering from multiple lacerations, bleeding from several places and broken bones..they usually are NOT placed in an MRI machine for the 45 minutes it takes to get a scan. Instead, a CT is done. A CT doesnt show a TIA and frequently an MRI will NOT show aTIA especially if a day or 2 goes by. Furthermore, an unconscious patient cannot verify if they have metallic anything in their body that can literally cause severe burns. Time is of the essence with multi-trauma patients when they present to the ER. A TIA frequently doesnt show up on an MRI. it is transient and rarely causes detectable damage. She collapsed and therefore she had a more significant vascular event. JMO

 

[Ceska]

When a patient presents with a head injury, and is also suffering from multiple lacerations, bleeding from several places and broken bones..they usually are NOT placed in an MRI machine for the 45 minutes it takes to get a scan. Instead, a CT is done. A CT doesnt show a TIA and frequently an MRI will NOT show aTIA especially if a day or 2 goes by. Furthermore, an unconscious patient cannot verify if they have metallic anything in their body that can literally cause severe burns. Time is of the essence with multi-trauma patients when they present to the ER. A TIA frequently doesnt show up on an MRI. it is transient and rarely causes detectable damage. She collapsed and therefore she had a more significant vascular event. JMO

I went to college for diagnostic medical ultrasound (and HIM, many an ER report came across my desk, as well as surgical and inpatient studies), worked at a couple of different hospitals until I retired. MRI will show a TIA. Of course nothing is ever guaranteed. Maybe it depends on where you worked at, different hospitals different protocols, etc. I have metal stents in my coronary arteries, and I am totally able to get an MRI, it depends on the strength of the MRI machine. Metal in your body will not heat or move. People with hip and TKR can have MRIs. Edited to add: It just all depends on the situation, location, implant, etc.

 

[aafromaa]

I hope they exhume her body, things don't add up, in my opinion. Multiple, severe injuries like she had just seem pretty inconsistent for a trip and fall while ascending a stairway of that size. Alex took out a commercial insurance policy just weeks prior to her accident, I don't think that is coincidence. SLED also seems to realize this.

Edited to add, I was doing some more online reading and saw this...
"But her death was never reported to the coroner. And no autopsy was performed.".

How did Gloria Satterfield die? Authorities plan to exhume body of longtime Murdaugh housekeeper

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division plans to exhume the body of longtime Murdaugh housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, an attorney confirmed Friday.

www.wjcl.com

This is partly why I am confused… This article stating SLED intended to exhume the body was from last June and indicates they were opening a criminal investigation. But I think - not sure - but think he has been indicted for fraud on this case since the article. I would also think that (fraud) was the reason for the criminal investigation brought up last summer. If that is correct then it would seem to me that SLED determined exhuming the body was not necessary for the fraud case. Otherwise if their intent was to do it last June and they said it would take weeks not days why has it still not been done in all this time? Does anyone have anything from SLED recently that says they are still considering exhuming the body? Or has this all just been brought up by media regarding SLED’s intent in June of 2022?

 

[Ceska]

This is partly why I am confused… This article stating SLED intended to exhume the body was from last June and indicates they were opening a criminal investigation. But I think - not sure - but think he has been indicted for fraud on this case since the article. I would also think that (fraud) was the reason for the criminal investigation brought up last summer. If that is correct then it would seem to me that SLED determined exhuming the body was not necessary for the fraud case. Otherwise if their intent was to do it last June and they said it would take weeks not days why has it still not been done in all this time? Does anyone have anything from SLED recently that says they are still considering exhuming the body? Or has this all just been brought up by media regarding SLED’s intent in June of 2022?

I agree, it is confusing to me too. And sort of odd. Are they going to exhume her, or not....

 

[Beills]

As usual, I’m behind on this thread and hope to catch up when I have more time. Forgive me if these questions have already been discussed.

1) Didn’t SLED get the family’s permission to exhume GS’ body in June of 2022? If so, why wasn’t that done in these past 9 months? And is SLED bringing this up again now or is it coming up again because of something the Satterfield said in court or in an interview?

2) It is my opinion that it was a slip and fall and AM took advantage of a situation he did not actually cause. But so much is being made of it that I have to wonder if there is more info out there than I’m aware of. Is there any reason to believe it was not an accident?

3) AM told LE that he was at work when it happened but he got to the house before EMS which was about 16 min after the 911 call if I remember correctly. Is there any info out there to suggest that AM may have been at the house when it happened?

4) If it was not an accident but murder and if AM was found to have done it…would that not mean the insurance company was not legally required to pay anything? Or since it was a settlement as opposed to a verdict would that mean they have no recourse? I would think it likely they would not pursue the Satterfield family simply for publicity reasons. But would they have a suit against AM & the other attorney involved?

Just trying to catch up - thank you WSers for any info you can share to help me do so.

1. It is unclear why SLED did not exhume GS' body in the past 9 months if they had permission from the family to do so in June of 2022. It is also unclear why SLED is bringing it up again now, but it may be related to something the Satterfield said in court or in an interview.
2. While it is possible that it was a slip and fall, there may be additional information that has not been publicly released that suggests otherwise. It is important to keep an open mind until all of the facts are presented.
3. As far as publicly available information suggests, there is no evidence to suggest that AM was at the house when it happened.
4. If it were determined that GS' death was not an accident but rather a murder and AM was found to be responsible, the insurance company may not be legally required to pay out the policy if there is a clause in the policy that excludes payment for deaths resulting from criminal acts. Whether the insurance company would have a suit against AM and the other attorney involved would depend on the specifics of the case and any applicable laws.

I hope this helps you catch up on the discussion. Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.