Buster Murdaugh Netflix Defamation Lawsuit Explained

Richard “Buster” Murdaugh Jr. is suing Netflix, production company The Cinemart, Gannett and journalist Michael DeWitt Jr. for defamation over the Netflix documentary series Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. Murdaugh alleges the series falsely implied that he was involved in the 2015 death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith and suggested that the two young men had been in a romantic relationship. Murdaugh has repeatedly denied any involvement in Smith’s death, and no law-enforcement agency has charged him or publicly identified him as responsible. On August 24, 2026, South Carolina Circuit Judge Heath Taylor refused to dismiss the remaining state-court case, ruling that Netflix and The Cinemart took “creative liberties” that could reasonably be interpreted as suggesting Murdaugh was responsible for Smith’s death. The ruling does not establish that Netflix defamed Murdaugh; it allows his claims to proceed toward further litigation.

Who Is Buster Murdaugh?

Buster Murdaugh Is The Surviving Son Of Alex And Maggie Murdaugh. He became nationally known during the investigation and trial surrounding the June 2021 murders of his mother Maggie and younger brother Paul Murdaugh at the family’s Moselle property in South Carolina.

His Father Alex Murdaugh Was Convicted Of Killing Maggie And Paul. The 2023 convictions were later overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court in May 2026 because of jury interference by former Colleton County clerk Becky Hill, and Alex Murdaugh is awaiting a new trial. Buster’s defamation lawsuit concerns the separate Stephen Smith case rather than the murders of Maggie and Paul. [Court TV]

Who Was Stephen Smith?

Stephen Smith Was A 19-Year-Old Nursing Student From Hampton County. His body was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road in South Carolina during the early morning hours of July 8, 2015. [Washington Post]

Smith Had Suffered Severe Head Trauma. His death was initially treated as a possible homicide before an autopsy concluded that the fatal injury was blunt-force trauma from a motor-vehicle collision. That determination was disputed by some investigators and by Smith’s family. [Washington Post]

The Case Was Reopened After The Murdaugh Family Murders. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said it opened an investigation into Smith’s death in 2021 after information was discovered during the investigation into Maggie and Paul Murdaugh’s killings. [The State]

Authorities Later Began Treating Smith’s Death As A Homicide Investigation. Smith’s body was exhumed in 2023 for an independent autopsy as his family sought more definitive answers about how he died. [People]

Rumors Connect Buster Murdaugh To Stephen Smith

Buster Murdaugh’s Name Had Long Appeared In Rumors Surrounding Smith’s Death. Investigative files and local reporting documented rumors in Hampton County suggesting some connection between Smith and members of the Murdaugh family.

Rumors Also Claimed Buster And Smith Had A Romantic Relationship. Those claims became particularly prominent after the Murdaugh family murder case attracted national attention.

No Law-Enforcement Agency Has Publicly Established That Such A Relationship Existed. Murdaugh denies that he and Smith had a romantic relationship.

No One Has Been Criminally Charged In Smith’s Death. Authorities have not charged Buster Murdaugh or publicly announced that he is a suspect responsible for the killing. [Washington Post] [Washington Post]

Buster Publicly Denies Involvement

Murdaugh Issued A Direct Denial In March 2023. As speculation increased following his father’s murder trial, he released a statement calling the rumors about his involvement “baseless.” [CBS News] [Court TV]

Murdaugh Said He “Unequivocally” Denied Any Involvement In Smith’s Death. He also expressed sympathy for Smith’s family and asked the media to stop publishing what he described as false allegations. [Inside Edition]

He Said The Rumors Had Become A Form Of Harassment. Murdaugh complained that he was being targeted while simultaneously grieving the murders of his mother and brother and dealing with his father’s imprisonment. [The State]

Netflix Releases Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal

Netflix Released The Documentary Series In 2023. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal examined the collapse of the prominent South Carolina legal family and included discussion of Smith’s unresolved death.

The Series Included Interviews About Community Rumors Involving Buster. Among those appearing was Michael DeWitt Jr., editor of the Hampton County Guardian, who discussed rumors circulating locally about a possible connection between the Murdaugh family and Smith. [Court TV]

Murdaugh Says The Documentary Did More Than Merely Report That Rumors Existed. His lawsuit argues that the editing, sequencing, reenactments and commentary combined to leave viewers with the impression that he had killed Smith.

The Red-Haired Man With A Baseball Bat

One Of Murdaugh’s Most Specific Complaints Concerns A Dramatized Image Of A Red-Haired Man Carrying A Baseball Bat. Murdaugh has red hair, and his lawsuit alleges viewers were clearly intended to understand the figure as representing him. [Washington Post] [Court TV]

The Baseball-Bat Theory Had Circulated As A Rumor About Smith’s Death. Some documentary treatments discussed a theory that Smith had been attacked with a baseball bat rather than struck by a vehicle.

Murdaugh Says The Visual Effectively Portrayed Him As Smith’s Killer. His lawsuit argues that the imagery went beyond neutral reporting about rumors and instead transformed speculation into a visual narrative implicating him.

No Court Has Determined That Murdaugh Killed Smith With A Baseball Bat. There has also been no criminal charge establishing that theory.

The Alleged Romantic Relationship

The Lawsuit Also Challenges Claims Suggesting Murdaugh And Smith Had A Romantic Relationship. Murdaugh says those statements are false “in their entirety.” [Court TV]

The Relationship Theory Was Important To Some Versions Of The Murder Rumor. Certain documentary narratives suggested that Smith may have been killed because of a secret same-sex relationship involving a member of the socially prominent Murdaugh family. [Washington Post]

Murdaugh Says Presenting That Theory Alongside Images And Commentary About Him Created A False Motive For Murder. He argues that the documentary therefore implied not only that he was connected to Smith but that Smith’s sexuality or an alleged relationship provided a reason for the killing.

Michael DeWitt’s Statements In The Netflix Documentary

Michael DeWitt Appeared In The Series As Editor Of The Hampton County Guardian. DeWitt discussed what his newspaper and local residents had heard about the case.

DeWitt Said The Newspaper Had Heard Rumors About A Possible Murdaugh Connection. He described the difficulty of publishing the family’s name without stronger evidence and said residents understood which prominent family was being referenced. [Court TV]

Murdaugh Claims DeWitt’s Comments Gave The Rumors Added Credibility. Because DeWitt appeared in his capacity as a local newspaper editor, Murdaugh argues viewers would have regarded his statements as more authoritative than ordinary gossip.

Buster Murdaugh Files His Defamation Lawsuit

Murdaugh Filed Suit In Hampton County In June 2024. The original defendants included Netflix, The Cinemart, Warner Bros. Discovery, Warner Media Entertainment Pages, Blackfin, Campfire Studios, Gannett and DeWitt. [Court Records] [Court TV]

The Case Covered Three Different Documentary Productions. They were Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, Discovery’s Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty and the Max series Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty. [Federal Court Records]

Murdaugh Accused The Defendants Of Defamation By Implication. His core claim is that individual statements may sometimes have been phrased as rumors or questions but that the documentaries’ overall presentation communicated the false factual message that he participated in Smith’s death.

He Seeks Actual And Punitive Damages. Murdaugh alleges that the documentaries caused irreparable reputational damage and mental anguish. [Court TV]

The Lawsuit Is Split Into Federal And State Cases

The Defendants Initially Removed The Entire Lawsuit To Federal Court. Netflix and The Cinemart argued that the inclusion of South Carolina defendants did not prevent federal jurisdiction.

Federal Judge Richard Gergel Later Split The Litigation. The claims against the Warner Bros.-related defendants remained in federal court, while the claims involving Netflix, The Cinemart, Gannett and DeWitt were sent back to Hampton County state court. [Federal Court Records]

That Created Two Parallel Defamation Cases. One concerned the Warner/Discovery documentaries, while the other focused primarily on Netflix’s A Southern Scandal and DeWitt’s participation.

Warner Bros. Portion Of The Case Settles

Murdaugh Reached A Settlement With The Warner Bros.-Related Defendants In 2026. The federal case involving Warner Bros., Blackfin and related companies was resolved before trial. [Court TV] [The State]

The Settlement Terms Were Sealed. The amount paid, if any, and other conditions of the agreement have not been publicly disclosed. [Court TV]

The Settlement Did Not Resolve The Netflix Case. Murdaugh continued pursuing the Hampton County action against Netflix, The Cinemart, Gannett and DeWitt.

Netflix Tries To Have The Case Dismissed

Netflix And The Cinemart Argued That Their Documentary Was Constitutionally Protected Reporting. Their attorneys relied on the First Amendment and argued that the series accurately reported publicly documented rumors and law-enforcement materials. [Court TV]

They Also Invoked The Fair Report Privilege. That doctrine can protect media organizations when they accurately report information contained in official public records.

Netflix Said The Documentary Was Asking Questions Rather Than Accusing Murdaugh Of Murder. Attorneys argued that viewers were invited to draw their own conclusions from competing information presented in the series. [Court TV]

Judge Says Netflix Took “Creative Liberties”

Judge Heath Taylor Denied The Motion To Dismiss On August 24, 2026. The ruling allowed Murdaugh’s defamation case against Netflix and the other remaining defendants to continue. [Court TV] [FITSNews]

Taylor Said Netflix And The Cinemart Had Taken “Creative Liberties.” He concluded that the way the documentary combined interviews, records and other material could reasonably be interpreted as answering the questions it purported to raise about Murdaugh’s involvement. [Court TV]

The Judge Said Murdaugh Had Plausibly Alleged A Defamatory Implication. Taylor accepted, for purposes of the dismissal stage, Murdaugh’s argument that the documentary selectively combined interviews from law enforcement, residents and journalists to create the implication that he was responsible for Smith’s death. [Court TV]

The Ruling Does Not Mean The Judge Found Netflix Liable. At this stage, the court was deciding whether Murdaugh had alleged enough facts to proceed, not whether he had proven the allegations.

Judge Rejects Netflix’s Fair Report Argument For Now

Taylor Said The Fair Report Privilege Protects Reports Of Public Records, Not Necessarily Added Creative Material. He concluded that Murdaugh’s allegation about selective editing and presentation could fall outside the privilege. [Court TV]

That Distinction Could Become Central To The Case. Netflix can argue that it accurately summarized official reports and public controversy, while Murdaugh can attempt to show that the production went further by arranging the material in a way that communicated a false accusation.

Judge Also Allows Claims Against Michael DeWitt To Continue

Taylor Ruled That DeWitt’s Comments Could Be Interpreted As Endorsing The Rumors. The judge noted that it is one thing to truthfully state that rumors existed and another for viewers to reasonably understand a journalist as suggesting those rumors were true. [Court TV]

The Judge Emphasized That DeWitt Appeared As A Newspaper Editor. Taylor concluded that DeWitt was not presented merely as a private citizen but as editor of the Hampton County Guardian, giving his statements added authority. [Court TV]

The Claims Against Gannett Also Survived. Gannett had argued that it should not be liable for remarks DeWitt made in a documentary outside his ordinary newspaper duties, but the court declined to dismiss the claim at this stage. [FITSNews]

Public Figure Question Remains Unresolved

The Court Has Not Yet Decided Whether Buster Murdaugh Is A Public Figure For Defamation Purposes. That classification could significantly affect what he eventually must prove.

A Public Figure Generally Faces A Higher Burden. If Murdaugh is treated as a public figure, he would generally need to establish actual malice — meaning the defendants knew a defamatory implication was false or recklessly disregarded whether it was true.

Taylor Ruled That Murdaugh Had Plausibly Alleged Malice Or Negligence At This Stage. That was sufficient to survive dismissal even though the ultimate legal standard remains unresolved. [FITSNews]

Why The August 2026 Ruling Matters

The Ruling Opens The Door To Broader Discovery. Murdaugh can potentially seek internal communications, documentary drafts, editorial discussions, interview materials and other records concerning how the Smith segment was constructed.

Netflix Can Also Obtain Evidence From Murdaugh. Defamation litigation can involve extensive questioning of the plaintiff about the alleged defamatory subject, reputational damages and alternative explanations for any harm.

The Case Could Therefore Produce New Information About Both The Documentary And The Original Smith Rumors. Surviving the dismissal stage increases the likelihood that both sides will have to disclose evidence that has not previously been public.

What Netflix Did And Did Not Say

The Netflix Documentary Did Acknowledge That The Murdaugh Family Denied Involvement. The series stated near the end of the relevant episode that the family had publicly denied involvement in Smith’s death. [Court Filing]

The Series Also Reported That Authorities Had Not Identified A Killer. At the time it premiered, SLED had made no arrest and had not publicly identified anyone responsible for Smith’s death. [Court Filing]

Murdaugh’s Case Argues Those Disclaimers Did Not Undo The Larger Implication. He says the overall editing and narrative structure left viewers believing he was involved despite the inclusion of qualifying statements.

What Has And Has Not Been Established

It Is Confirmed That Buster Murdaugh Is Suing Netflix Over The Stephen Smith Portion Of Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. The Hampton County lawsuit remains active. [Court TV]

It Is Confirmed That The Judge Refused To Dismiss The Case In August 2026. Taylor ruled that the documentary’s “creative liberties” could support a defamation-by-implication claim. [Court TV]

It Has Not Been Established That Netflix Defamed Murdaugh. The lawsuit has survived a preliminary dismissal challenge, but liability and damages have not been decided.

It Has Not Been Established That Buster Murdaugh Killed Stephen Smith. No criminal charge or judicial finding has established that allegation.

It Has Not Been Established That Murdaugh And Smith Had A Romantic Relationship. Murdaugh denies the claim, and no court or law-enforcement agency has publicly established it as fact.

The Warner Bros. Portion Of The Defamation Litigation Has Been Settled. The terms of that agreement remain confidential. [Court TV]

The Netflix Case Is Now Positioned To Continue In South Carolina State Court. Unless the parties settle or a later ruling ends the case, the dispute can proceed into discovery and potentially toward trial.

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