Hampton law firm strips Murdaugh family, others from new name after financial fallout
The more than a century old Murdaugh law firm has scrubbed the name of the influential family and three other partners following dozens of allegations of financial fraud against suspended attorney Alex Murdaugh.
Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick (PMPED) is now named the Parker Law Group after partner John E. Parker, the firm said in a statement Tuesday.
Parker is the only living partner from the original PMPED name, the firm said.
The firm, founded by Randolph Murdaugh Sr., Alex Murdaugh’s great-grandfather, in 1910, was thrust into the national spotlight last year, as it tried to weather the storm of accusations surrounding Murdaugh — including that he stole money from clients and the firm for years.
The storied law firm has been scrutinized in recent weeks as critics, including state Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, questioned how Murdaugh was allowed to allegedly steal from clients and the firm without its knowledge.
Tuesday’s statement about the name change, however, made no mention of that criticism, Murdaugh’s alleged crimes or the fact that the firm is currently suing Murdaugh.
Instead, the firm said it was changing its name in honor of Parker’s “50 years of outstanding service.”
“We’re grateful to Johnny Parker for his dedication and leadership of our firm,” firm partner Ronnie Crosby said in the statement. “It’s an honor to name our firm after one of South Carolina’s most accomplished and respected attorneys.”
Parker joined the law firm in 1973 after graduating from the University of South Carolina School of Law and has worked there his entire career, according to the firm.
Parker, the Murdaughs and the firm have raked in millions, suing those who kill or injure others. The firm’s imposing two-story brick headquarters takes up a city block on Hampton’s Mulberry Street and is often called “The House that CSX Built” — a quip referring to the millions the firm has won suing CSX railroads.
That success stemmed from a loophole in S.C. law that allowed people with a grievance against a railroad to file a lawsuit in any county in the state.
For years, people flocked to Hampton, where the Murdaugh family ran the five-county circuit’s prosecutor’s office for more than 80 years. The firm’s influence with juries and large awards against railroad companies were common, according to The State newspaper.
Parker, who served as firm president from 1994 to 2016, handled most of the lawsuits against CSX at the time.
In 2005, the Legislature changed the law concerning where lawsuits can be filed, limiting plaintiffs from other parts of South Carolina from suing in Hampton County unless the incident happened in that county.
Alex Murdaugh did not carry on his father’s role as 14th Circuit Solicitor but occasionally worked as a volunteer prosecutor for the agency.
Murdaugh’s law license is now suspended as the S.C. Supreme Court’s disciplinary arm investigates him for stealing money. He is currently in the Richland County Jail on dozens of indictments he stole millions of dollars from clients.
PMPED, now Parker Law Group, sued Murdaugh last October for allegedly stealing funds “by disguising disbursements from settlements as payments,” the lawsuit said.
John E. Parker sued Murdaugh weeks later, alleging he loaned $477,000 to Murdaugh and was not paid back. A day later, Murdaugh signed and filed a “confession of judgment” saying he owed Parker the money.
Murdaugh’s wife and son were found murdered in June on the family’s 1,700-acre hunting property that straddles Hampton and Colleton counties.
Police have announced no arrests or suspects in the murders of Maggie, 52, and Paul Murdaugh, 22.
Alex Murdaugh’s attorney has acknowledged that his client has been a person of interest in the killings, but said that Murdaugh had no motive to kill them.
This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 4:25 PM.
