Solicitor requests investigation into judge’s conduct
A South Carolina solicitor and a Columbia lawyer are requesting a state judicial investigation into the perform of 14th Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen in regards to one particular set of criminal allegations towards Richard Alexander Murdaugh.
On Feb. 25, 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe, who serves Calhoun, Dorchester and Orangeburg counties, despatched a letter of complaint to John S. Nichols, Disciplinary Counsel of the S.C. Place of work of Disciplinary Counsel.
The letter formally requests that the S.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel and the Commission on Judicial Carry out investigate the perform of Circuit Courtroom Judge Mullen. The ask for facilities around Mullen’s alleged perform in what is now a legal and civil make a difference involving suspended legal professional Murdaugh and a loss of life settlement awarded to the estate of his late housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield.
Murdaugh is now experiencing 74 prison prices related to an alleged 10 years-lengthy financial crime spree.
In this letter, Pascoe refers to an earlier grievance filed by his place of work from Mullen, as effectively as a similar criticism submitted from the choose by Eric Bland, of Bland Richter LLP, attorneys for the Satterfield estate.
The letter states, “Decide Mullen’s sample of alleged perform threatens to erode community trust in our judiciary. Impropriety and dishonesty by customers of our State’s judiciary trigger serious harm to all South Carolinians. When rich and politically connected people are addressed as a privileged course by users of the judiciary, it erodes community have confidence in in government and the good administration of legislation.”
Pascoe unveiled the letter to The Hampton County Guardian, but declined to remark even more on it.
Just after 1 p.m. Wednesday, The Guardian still left mobile phone and e-mail messages seeking remark at Mullen’s office environment, and emailed her legislation clerk.
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Ginny Jones, public information and facts director for the South Carolina Judicial Department, stated Wednesday that pursuant to state legislation she could not admit receipt of the letter, and she could “neither confirm nor deny the existence of any disciplinary investigation pursuant to Court procedures.”
Pascoe’s letter refers to a rough draft of a 124-webpage deposition from Palmetto Point out Bank formal Chad Westendorf that Bland supplied to his workplace, as perfectly as to the Business office of Disciplinary Counsel. Bland instructed The Guardian that Westendorf gave this deposition to his regulation agency, the State Grand Jury, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Feb. 22 in Columbia.
Westendorf was the conservator for the estate of Gloria Satterfield, who died not long soon after suffering a “journey and tumble” incident at the Murdaughs’ Colleton County residence in 2018. Murdaugh allegedly convinced Satterfield’s grieving sons to file a wrongful death suit from him and his insurance coverage, according to condition grand jury indictments, and is now going through felony expenses alleging he stole about $4.3 million from that family’s loss of life settlement.
Bland claimed that, in the deposition, Westendorf confirms that Decide Mullen agreed to a ask for from Beaufort County legal professional Cory Fleming, who was symbolizing the Satterfields at the time, to take out Murdaugh’s name from the settlement order caption so that it would not be created general public.
The Guardian remaining phone and email messages with Westendorf’s lawyer trying to get remark.
Bland, who introduced the deposition to The Guardian, said this deposition has not been publicly filed but has been sent to the ODC. This tough draft is pending closing acceptance by attorneys for all parties associated, and minimal variations may well be produced.
In his letter to the ODC, Pascoe states that on April 12, 2019, Mullen recused herself from handling any lawful matters, such as a wrongful loss of life fit, pertaining to the Feb. 24, 2019, boat crash involving Murdaugh’s boat and his youngest son, Paul, that resulted in the demise of Mallory Seaside, 19, of Hampton.
However, he states in the letter, due to the fact of “data uncovered by Mr. Bland” in the Westendorf deposition, “There is now sworn testimony developing that Choose Mullen signed the Satterfield settlement purchase on May well 13, 2019, being aware of that it would not be submitted to prevent the litigants in the Mallory Seashore matter from mastering about Mr. Murdaugh’s insurance policy protection and his settlement with the Satterfield estate. If genuine, Judge Mullen evidently took action to benefit Alex Murdaugh in the Beach-Murdaugh situation regardless of her recusal from that scenario. Her managing of this issue demonstrates a deficiency of self confidence at a minimal and implicates the Code of Judicial Conduct. Judges are intended to be the gatekeepers of fairness and impartiality, but her actions brought about authentic hurt to the Satterfield and Beach people.”
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Pascoe even more referenced a 2019 complaint that he also submitted with the ODC versus Mullen. This grievance, which was dismissed, accused Mullen of recording telephone phone calls involving functions with out consent, not disclosing conflicts of desire, allowing for staff members to submit critical remarks about pending judicial issues on social media, and other allegations.
Pascoe also asked for that his previous complaint be investigated, and advised that with each other, these allegations “reveal a pattern of unethical behavior.”
To date, Bland and Richter LLP have recovered a lot more than $7 million in settlements for the Satterfield relatives, but still have a pending civil fit towards Murdaugh. Murdaugh has reportedly signed a $4.3 million confession of judgement to the Satterfields, mentioned Bland, but that confession would have to be accepted by the courts and the lawyers court appointed as co-receivers of Murdaugh’s property.
Murdaugh is at the moment in the Richland County detention center on a $7 million bond, facing 74 criminal fees and nine civil fits.
