Netflix, others want Buster Murdaugh case moved to federal court

HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WSAV) – Several media companies and a journalist named in a defamation lawsuit by Buster Murdaugh have filed a notice of removal to take the case to federal court.

Buster Murdaugh is suing Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and others over claims that he is connected to the death of Stephen Smith, his classmate who was found dead in Hampton County after an alleged hit-and-run in 2015.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division reopened Smith’s case in 2021 as they were investigating the murders of Buster Murdaugh’s mother and brother, Maggie and Paul — a case in which his father Alex Murdaugh was convicted.

No suspects have been named in Smith’s case.

The defendants in Buster Murdaugh’s case claim that because they operate outside of Hampton County where the suit was originally filed, the move to federal court is warranted. The exception is journalist Michael DeWitt, editor of the Hampton County Guardian and author of “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh.”

The notice argues that he is a “sham defendant,” named for the sole purpose of keeping the case in the most advantageous jurisdiction, Buster Murdaugh’s hometown of Hampton.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2.