Alex Murdaugh Violated Court Order In Trying To Disclaim Wife’s Estate
In a motion filed with the court in March, the receivers — John T. Lay and Peter McCoy — argued that Murdaugh’s disclaimer of “inherited assets” was a violation of the November order and warranted sanctions against him.
“A disclaimer of interest in an estate’s assets is, in effect, a transfer of assets from the original inheriting party to the decedent’s secondary beneficiaries.”
The motion, which called the waiver attempt “void,” stated: “Alex Murdaugh, and other persons acting on his behalf, are prohibited from directly and indirectly transferring or otherwise disposing of Alex Murdaugh’s Assets.”
Maggie Murdaugh’s estate would likely pass to their surviving son Buster. Though Buster is a defendant in several lawsuits, the motion noted, “based on the Receivers’ investigation thus far, it is apparent that Alex Murdaugh likely has significantly more creditors and larger debts than Buster Murdaugh.”
Lay and McCoy contended that Alex Murdaugh signed away his rights to the estate “with the belief that Buster Murdaugh’s debts would be less than those of Alex Murdaugh and thus the assets from Maggie’s Estate may be preserved for Buster Murdaugh in some portion.”
They called this an “improper preference” and said it violated the terms and intended purpose of the receivership order.