Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill's legal team responded to a pending lawsuit against her. The Thursday-filed motion asks for Murdaugh's suit, which seeks $600,000 in damages to cover legal costs for alleged jury tampering, to be tossed.
Hill says in her motion that she should not have to pay for Murdaugh's defense expenses for the murder trial. She argues that, regardless of any alleged tampering, Murdaugh would still have to face a verdict of guilty or not guilty.
Therefore, she is immune from covering the costs.
"Plaintiff’s [Murdaugh's] defense of the murder charges and fees incurred would have occurred regardless of Defendant’s [Hill's] alleged jury tampering taking place," wrote Hill's attorneys. "Plaintiff’s underlying criminal proceeding, then, was not the natural consequence of Defendant’s actions, and awarding Plaintiff legal fees incurred therefrom would not compensate him for any injury caused by the alleged deprivation of his Six Amendment right to an impartial jury."
Hill was never criminally charged with jury tampering after the 2023 murder trial. Instead, she was handed felony charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, and misconduct on office in 2025. However, the higher court sided with Murdaugh's allegations that Hill's actions tainted the jury. His convictions were overturned in May, clearing the way for a retrial.
The first hearing is set for June 29 in Lexington County.
