HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Members of a prominent South Carolina family now at the center of several civil and criminal investigations may be dropped from a lawsuit stemming from a fatal 2019 boat crash.

Mallory Beach was killed after she was thrown from a boat allegedly being driven by an extremely drunk and underaged Paul Murdaugh. Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, but Paul was killed in a separate incident before that case was ever brought to trial.

The Beach family has named several other defendants in lawsuits over Mallory’s death, including Paul’s older brother Buster, whose ID Paul used to purchase alcohol. Paul’s parents Maggie (who was murdered the same night as Paul) and Alex Murdaugh were also named as defendants and were accused of enabling Paul’s drinking and reckless behavior.

Alex has now been indicted for the murders of Maggie and Paul as well as nearly 100 other white collar and financial crimes.

Beach family attorney Mark Tinsley confirmed to News 2 that an agreement has been reached between parties which, if approved, “will result in the dismissal of Buster and Maggie’s estate.”

Tinsley said that the deal, if approved by the court and Palmetto State Bank, will ensure funds are available for his clients.

Much of the deal has to do with how funds are being disbursed by receivers appointed to oversee Alex’s assets, as well as how the funds from the Maggie’s estate are being disbursed.

The settlement would require the Personal Representative of Maggie’s estate, John Marvin Murdaugh, to sell assets like the Moselle property and the Mercedes that Alex Murdaugh was driving during his botched suicide attempt, with the proceeds going towards the settlement.

Under the terms of the proposed settlement, Maggie’s estate would be divided as follows:

• The Personal Representative will pay the Estate’s outstanding legal fees and other administration expenses, which are estimated to be approximately $290,000.
• The Personal Representative will pay $6,511.52 to Laura Jones, LLC in satisfaction of her outstanding creditor claim against the Estate.
• The Personal Representative hereby waives the right to any Personal Representative’s fee.
• The Personal Representative will pay $12,305.28 to himself in reimbursement of his personal funds he advanced on behalf of the Estate and in satisfaction of his outstanding creditor claim against the Estate.
• This Agreement is contingent upon the outstanding creditor claim of Palmetto State Bank being resolved, released and satisfied for a payment of no more than $25,000.00 and, if accepted, will be paid by the Personal Representative. (*Note: Tinsley said that this sum was for money still owed on Moselle).
• The Personal Representative will distribute $530,000 to Richard Alexander Murdaugh, Jr. (Buster) as sole devisee of the Estate.
• The Personal Representative will pay $100,000 to Joseph M. McCulloch, Esquire, as attorney for Connor Cook, on behalf of and in settlement of the suit against Richard Alexander Murdaugh, Jr.
• The Personal Representative will pay $275,000.00 to the Co-Receivers in settlement of the Fraudulent Conveyance Claim to be held in the common fund under the custody and control of the Co-Receivers.
• The Personal Representative will distribute the remaining balance of the Estate bank account to Mark B. Tinsley, Esquire on behalf of Renee Beach as Personal Representative for the Estate of Mallory Beach, Morgan Doughty and Miley Altman. The intent of this Agreement is to liquidate the remaining Estate assets and distribute the proceeds to Mark B. Tinsley, Esquire on behalf of his clients. The Estate will retain all intangible assets, including but not limited to, image and likeness, publication rights and choses in action. Such assets shall remain property of the Estate.

If agreed upon, the settlement would drop Maggie and Buster from other lawsuits brought by surviving victims of the boat crash as well.

The settlement has yet to be approved by the court or the bank.

Editor’s note: This story is breaking and will be updated.