BakerHostetler, Partner Hit With Suit Over Murdaugh-Linked Work

BakerHostetler partner Jason D’Cruz is facing another lawsuit over his work defending a South Carolina grocery chain in a high-profile wrongful death case.

D’Cruz and the law firm were sued Tuesday by investigation company Inquiry Agency LLC. The company says it was hired by BakerHostetler to dig up information on the Murdaughs, a powerful South Carolina family who caught national attention when Alex Murdaugh was accused of killing his wife and son.

Inquiry says its work was part of a “public relations campaign” to steer blame for a fatal 2019 boating accident in which Murdaugh’s son, Paul, was allegedly driving under the influence.

D’Cruz defended local grocery store chain Parker’s Corporation in a wrongful death suit by the family of Mallory Beach, who was killed in the accident. Paul reportedly bought alcohol at a Parker’s location before the accident, despite being under the drinking age.

Inquiry is suing D’Cruz and BakerHostetler for breach of contract in a South Carolina state court. The company alleges that BakerHostetler refused to cover “thousands of dollars” in legal costs it incurred after the Beach family’s lawyer subpoenaed the company seeking its investigative file.

BakerHostetler instructed the company to refuse to comply, even as it shared investigative materials with third parties including journalists behind a “Murdaugh Murders” documentary, according to Inquiry’s lawsuit. The series details a string of events beginning with the boating accident and ending in Alex Murdaugh being charged with murdering his wife and son. Murdaugh was convicted last year and sentenced to life in prison.

It was not clear from the new suit whether Beach’s family lawyer is still fighting with Inquiry over the subpoena. Inquiry’s lawyer, Riley Adams, declined to comment on the suit, which notes that the claim is for less than $75,000.

BakerHostetler, D’Cruz, and Mark Tinsley, the Beach family’s lawyer, did not immediately return requests for comment.

Parker’s last year agreed to a $15 million settlement to resolve the Beach family’s wrongful death lawsuit.

The family is pursuing a separate civil conspiracy suit against Parker’s, its founder Gregory Parker, D’Cruz, and others. They claim the defendants misappropriated the family’s private property, including providing photographs of Mallory Beach’s dead body to the media, as part of an effort to deter them from pursuing their legal claims.

Lawyers for D’Cruz previously argued that Beach’s family has no evidence that anyone conspired to harm them, according to state court documents. D’Cruz is also immune from liability because he never acted outside the scope of his representation, D’Cruz said.

The case is Inquiry Agency LLC v. BakerHostetler, S.C. Ct. Com. Pl., 2024CP1002640, 5/21/24