Former Palmetto Bay Marina owner fighting legal battles found dead in apparent suicide

The former owner of Palmetto Bay Marina, who has been involved in numerous ongoing Beaufort County legal battles, killed himself last month, according to a police report.

Doug James, 74, died from a gunshot wound to the head inside his Boulder City, Nev., residence on May 24, said Jeanne Pitre, of the Clark County Office of the Coroner. She said the death was ruled a suicide.

Palmetto Bay Marina was sold to The Pelorus Group in March 2016 for $10.5 million, but James’ legal battles, many pertaining to the property, did not end with that sale.

James is still listed in a number of ongoing civil cases.

In one suit, Hilton Head Island resident Jason Bullock accuses James of failing to show up to a closing of Palmetto Bay Marina in 2014 and claims that about $250,000 in earnest money for the purchase of the marina was never returned to him by James or by James’ attorney, Stephen Edward Carter of Port Royal.

Other pending cases include a foreclosure claim from Wells Fargo Bank for the Palmetto Bay Marina property, a breach of contract lawsuit along with a suit from his former wife for foreclosure.

A family member of James told Boulder City Police Department that in recent months James had become depressed about finances.

The report notes that James had lost a large sum of money and had several court appearances coming up. It also said he was upset about the sale of “a property” and had received paperwork related to that sale the day before his death.

This story was originally published June 6, 2017 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Former Palmetto Bay Marina owner fighting legal battles found dead in apparent suicide."