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

[GoBuckeyes]

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View attachment 492197

Why would they not give the Satterfield's some of the money?

 

[legalmomma]

DBM. Wrong thread

 

[Countem]

Insurance company suspected Alex Murdaugh's plot to steal millions from housekeeper's estate

Alex Murdaugh's former insurer Nautilus filed a federal lawsuit saying it's owed damages because it paid out a bogus claim to the estate of Gloria Satterfield.

www.postandcourier.com

Fascinating article about the insurance side of things, which is still an ongoing trial. It is behind a paywall.

 

[LetsSolvIt]

Insurance company suspected Alex Murdaugh's plot to steal millions from housekeeper's estate

Alex Murdaugh's former insurer Nautilus filed a federal lawsuit saying it's owed damages because it paid out a bogus claim to the estate of Gloria Satterfield.

www.postandcourier.com

Fascinating article about the insurance side of things, which is still an ongoing trial. It is behind a paywall.

Dying to read this but . . . alas, a paywall :/

 

[Seattle1]

Here we go:

Insurance company suspected Alex Murdaugh's plot to steal millions from housekeeper's estate

Alex Murdaugh's former insurer Nautilus filed a federal lawsuit saying it's owed damages because it paid out a bogus claim to the estate of Gloria Satterfield.

www.postandcourier.com

June 28, 2024

Several years before Alex Murdaugh was criminally charged with stealing millions from the estate of his family's ex-housekeeper, a group of lawyers and insurance agents sensed something was afoot.

[..]

Murdaugh, 56, went around his tiny hometown of Hampton telling people how guilty he felt. One of his family's dogs caused Satterfield to fall, he said.

Those working on the insurance case asked Murdaugh to stop admitting fault. Satterfield's medical records didn't suggest the dogs contributed to her death, they said; perhaps the wrongful death claim could be avoided.

And they were acutely aware of the stakes of a case involving Murdaugh. His insurance company refused to use a mediator — part of settlement negotiations — in Beaufort or Hampton, citing Murdaugh's prominence in the close-knit community.

"There is no way we would get a neutral mediator in that venue," the insurance agent wrote in an email dated Jan. 10, 2019.

[..]

A Nautilus insurance agent, its attorney and a Columbia-brd lawyer hired to defend Murdaugh against the claim each sounded alarms in early 2019. Their qualms were disclosed in recent federal court documents, as well as in emails obtained by The Post and Courier.

One attorney called it the "worst case (of) insurance fraud and injustice I have ever heard of."

"I wish there was a way to prove it," the agent responded in a March 24, 2019, email.

[..]

Nautilus filed a lawsuit in April 2022 contending the company is owed damages from Murdaugh and others because it paid out a bogus claim. Despite being suspicious of the claim, Nautilus had no way of knowing it was fraudulent, its lawyers argued in the suit.

[..]

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel issued a June 18 order that effectively narrowed the scope of the case, deciding Nautilus has no factual basis for some of its allegations. A lawyer for Nautilus declined to comment on Gergel's order.

[..]

Pending suit in federal court​

Nautilus' federal lawsuit names Fleming, Murdaugh, Westendorf, Palmetto State Bank and Moss & Kuhn, Fleming's former law firm.

Nautilus and the defendants all filed motions for summary judgment, asking Gergel — the judge tasked with overseeing the suit — to rule in their favor on different facts, thereby avoiding a trial and releasing them from liability in the case. (Murdaugh elected to default in the suit.)

[..]

The judge ultimately found that Nautilus has no factual basis for bringing any of its claims against Westendorf or Palmetto Sate Bank. Westendorf's lawyers declined to comment. Attorneys representing the bank did not immediately respond.

Gergel did not say the same for Fleming or Moss & Kuhn. Efforts to reach Fleming's attorney were unsuccessful. A lawyer representing Moss & Kuhn declined to comment.

If the suit ends up going to trial, jurors must decide whether the law firm can be held liable for Fleming's acts as an employee. They'll have to determine whether Fleming knew about Murdaugh's phony insurance claim, for instance, and if the ex-lawyer breached his fiduciary duties to Nautilus.

ETA: PDF link for a June 18, 2024, order from U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel in Nautilus' case against Alex Murdaugh and others part of the article but the link no longer works -- the dreaded 404 error results. No problem, I found another source for the link -- see below:

Nautilus Ins. Co. v. Murdaugh, 2:22-1307-RMG | Casetext Search + Citator

Read Nautilus Ins. Co. v. Murdaugh, 2:22-1307-RMG, see flags on bad law, and search Casetext’s comprehensive legal database

casetext.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A judge ruled against convicted murderer, fraudster and former attorney Alex Murdaugh in a civil insurance fraud case.

Meanwhile, alleged co-conspirator Cory Fleming is taking the claims to trial, maintaining innocence.

Nautilus Insurance originally filed the suit to recoup the $3.8 million. It says Alex Murdaugh obtained it by false claims when filing for life insurance for his late housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield

Federal Judge Richard Gergel ruled in favor of Nautilus Insurance in its civil claim against Murdaugh for conspiracy, unfair trade practices and damages. The ruling comes at the request of the parties for a quick decision by the judge. Gergel ruled against Murdaugh, ordering $14.8 million in damages for this civil case.

Nautilus also named disbarred attorney and state and federally convicted fraudster Cory Fleming as an alleged conspirator in the civil complaint. Fleming is taking his case to trial

Murdaugh ordered to pay in lawsuit involving housekeeper death

A judge ruled against convicted murderer, fraudster and former attorney Alex Murdaugh in a civil insurance fraud case.

www.wrdw.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

In his opening, Pendarvis is quick to share Fleming’s criminal convictions, saying he has admitted to the wrongs he did to the Satterfield family. But, Pendarvis says the facts will show that Fleming does not owe anything to the insurance company that paid out a claim they deemed sound enough to settle.

Nautilus is also accusing Fleming’s law firm at the time, saying the entity is responsible for Fleming’s alleged bad actions. Moss Kuhn and Fleming at the time is now referred to as Moss & Kuhn in the case. Robert Hood is representing the law firm in the complaint and is set to defend his client by arguing immediately after Fleming’s lawyers at the trial.

Hood says the law firm was only ever responsible for Fleming’s actions “within the scope of their employment.” Out of the $3.8 million dollar settlement in the Satterfield claim, Fleming at the law office received $650,000 for his legal services. Despite that transaction, Hood argues that the other partners had no knowledge of Fleming’s role in nefariously distributing the payout and that those actions were not tied to his job at the firm. Hood says none of the money earned for work on the case benefitted the firm, only Fleming.

A jury of 10 will sit the trial which is expected to last less than a week

Trial begins for Fleming in insurance accusation civil case

An insurance company is taking action against Cory Fleming, alleging the disbarred attorney serving prison time owes the company money back for an insurance payment they believe was handled fraudulently.

www.live5news.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A federal judge has ruled convicted killer and disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh owes an insurance company $14.8 million as punishment for a fraud scheme in which he brazenly stole the proceeds of a multimillion-dollar wrongful death settlement intended for his former housekeeper's children.

Murdaugh ordered to pay $14.8M penalty; Co-defendant Fleming standing trial January

A federal judge has ruled convicted killer and disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh owes an insurance company $14.8 million as punishment for a fraud scheme in which

newschannel9.com

 

[Wallendo]

All judgments against AM at this time are primarily symbolic. If any money is received by the plaintiffs, it will simply be money taken from the potential receipts of other victims.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The crux of Fleming’s defense is that while he represented Satterfield, he did not know Murdaugh had lied about the reason for the claim and trusted Murdaugh. During his testimony, Fleming said he trusted Murdaugh for a lot of reasons. He recalled they had been friends for a very long time, had worked for his father and was friendly with his wife and kids.

MSN

 

[NervousNellie]

The crux of Fleming’s defense is that while he represented Satterfield, he did not know Murdaugh had lied about the reason for the claim and trusted Murdaugh. During his testimony, Fleming said he trusted Murdaugh for a lot of reasons. He recalled they had been friends for a very long time, had worked for his father and was friendly with his wife and kids.

MSN

More from the same article.

“I thought absolutely with no doubt Alex’s intentions were to take care of the boys because they were on their own,” Fleming said on the stand, referring to Satterfield’s sons, surviving her.
[...]
Miller [insurance company employee] also said there were a few red flags in the case, including the Satterfield sons not attending the mediation hearing. Miller got emotional on the stand describing Murdaugh’s behavior during the mediation saying he slammed his fists on the table and followed her out to the parking lot to tell her to come back inside and make a deal.
[...]
"Fleming has pleaded guilty to criminal charges of fraud for how he disbursed the money from this claim, inflating his fees and signing over money to Murdaugh. But, he maintains he did not defraud the company since he knew nothing about the origins of the reason for Satterfield’s fall."

So, Fleming is willing to admit to scheming to steal money from the boys who can't really do anything, but he is not willing to admit to scheming to steal from the insurance company because they can bite. These guys that worked with AM prove over and over what P's OS they are.

 

[LetsSolvIt]

All judgments against AM at this time are primarily symbolic. If any money is received by the plaintiffs, it will simply be money taken from the potential receipts of other victims.

I kind of got bored with this case (after my judge-crush retired) but when I left I had the impression Murdaugh had no money left anywhere for anybody to claim. If he has anything it’s probably in Papa’s estate trust and he can’t access. OMO.

But … how are his lawyers getting paid?

 

[ch_13]

I kind of got bored with this case (after my judge-crush retired) but when I left I had the impression Murdaugh had no money left anywhere for anybody to claim. If he has anything it’s probably in Papa’s estate trust and he can’t access. OMO.

But … how are his lawyers getting paid?

There's a lot of family money. I assume they are the one's paying for his defense.

Buster for example, got a big payout from Maggie's estate. And as you say, there's Randolph's estate, which the rest of the family has access to, even if Alec technically doesn't.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Gergel's order states that Murdaugh acknowledged "that he 'invented a story about his dogs causing the death of Gloria Satterfield to create his own liability to the Satterfield beneficiaries to produce a payment from his insurance carriers which he intended to, and did in fact, steal."

Alex Murdaugh accomplice liable for $3.75 million in dead housekeeper insurance fraud scam

A federal jury wanted Murdaugh accomplice to pay $1.25 million after Gloria Satterfield insurance scam. Federal judge says that's not enough: triple it.

www.greenvilleonline.com

 

[StarryStarryNight]

I kind of got bored with this case (after my judge-crush retired) but when I left I had the impression Murdaugh had no money left anywhere for anybody to claim. If he has anything it’s probably in Papa’s estate trust and he can’t access. OMO.

But … how are his lawyers getting paid?

“…judge-crush…”.
Love it!
I’ll fight ya for him!

 

[sds71]

Today, we remember Gloria Satterfield, whose tragic passing left a lasting impact on those who knew and loved her. Gloria was more than just a name in a legal case - she was a devoted mother, a hard-working woman, and someone who deserved truth and justice. Her family’s fight for accountability exposed deep corruption and served as a powerful reminder that no one is above the law.On this anniversary, we honor her memory and reaffirm our commitment to seeking justice for all. Our thoughts remain with her family, who continue to carry her legacy forward. EB

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