Richard Alexander “Buster” Murdaugh, the son of imprisoned South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix and several other media companies. He accuses them of “reckless indifference to the truth” for linking him to the 2015 death of his school friend Stephen Smith in their documentaries.
Buster Murdaugh, now 28, seeks actual and punitive damages, claiming the documentaries have “irreparably” damaged his reputation and caused “mental anguish.” The lawsuit, filed in Hampton County, South Carolina, names Netflix’s “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,” Warner Bros Discovery’s “Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty,” HBO Max’s “Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty,” newspaper conglomerate Gannett, and the local Hampton County Guardian.
The documentaries imply Buster Murdaugh’s involvement in Smith’s death, with some suggesting he killed Smith with a baseball bat, which Buster denies. The Netflix documentary even dramatized a red-haired young man resembling Buster carrying a bat. The lawsuit claims these false statements have been viewed by millions, further damaging Buster’s reputation.
Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead on a road near the Murdaugh family home in July 2015. While initially deemed a hit-and-run, the nature of his injuries raised doubts, leading to the exhumation of his body and a grand jury investigation.
This defamation lawsuit follows another recent high-profile defamation suit against Netflix. Fiona Harvey, claiming to be the real-life inspiration behind the company’s “Baby Reindeer” series, has accused Netflix of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and other violations. Harvey is seeking substantial damages, arguing that the series wrongly portrays her as a stalker and sexual assailant.
The Buster Murdaugh lawsuit highlights the broader issues in the true-crime documentary genre, where the line between reality and fiction often blurs. Industry professionals have expressed concern over the pressure to market such productions as “true stories,” sometimes at the expense of accuracy.
Buster Murdaugh’s lawsuit underscores the intense scrutiny faced by his family following his father Alex Murdaugh’s conviction for the murders of his wife Maggie and youngest son Paul. The family’s notoriety has led to renewed investigations into other deaths linked to them, including the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach and the 2018 death of housekeeper Gloria Satterfield.
As the case proceeds, Buster Murdaugh’s legal action is expected to draw even more media attention, despite his intentions to clear his name and find relief from the mental anguish caused by the accusations.