Buster Murdaugh’s defamation lawsuit accuses Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, Gannett, and others of producing and publishing coverage that falsely implied he was involved in the 2015 death of Stephen Smith. He filed the suit in June 2024 in Hampton County, South Carolina. The case has since split in two: the federal portion against the Warner Bros. Discovery defendants settled and was dismissed with prejudice in February 2026, while the state case against Netflix and other defendants remains pending.1Court TV. Buster Murdaugh Reaches Settlement in Lawsuit Against Warner Bros.
Who Buster Murdaugh Sued
The complaint, filed June 18, 2024 in the Court of Common Pleas in Hampton County, named nine defendants tied to three documentary productions and one local newspaper.2Live 5 News. Buster Murdaugh Sues Netflix, Warner Brothers, Newspaper for Defamation
- Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., Warner Media Entertainment Pages, Inc., Blackfin, Inc., and Campfire Studio, Inc., which produced and distributed Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty and Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty.
- Netflix, Inc. and The Cinemart LLC, which produced and distributed Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.
- Gannett Co., Inc., publisher of the Hampton County Guardian.
- Michael DeWitt Jr., the Guardian‘s editor, who appeared on camera in the Netflix documentary.
Murdaugh is represented by South Carolina trial lawyer Shaun Kent and is seeking actual and punitive damages.3The Washington Post. Buster Murdaugh Lawsuit Netflix Gannett
What the Lawsuit Says the Documentaries Implied
The complaint alleges each documentary falsely implied that Murdaugh was involved in Stephen Smith’s death. According to the filing, Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty contained a segment alluding to Murdaugh as Smith’s killer. Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty went further, suggesting Murdaugh and friends killed Smith with a baseball bat because of his sexual identity. The Netflix series Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal depicted a person resembling Murdaugh carrying a baseball bat and implied his involvement.4Upper Michigan’s Source. Buster Murdaugh Sues Netflix, Warner Brothers, Newspaper for Defamation
The complaint also alleges the productions falsely implied a romantic relationship between Murdaugh and Smith, and that the defendants acted with “reckless indifference to the truth” by ignoring evidence that pointed away from him, including law enforcement notes indicating a likely hit-and-run and the existence of at least four other suspects.5The State. Buster Murdaugh Defamation Lawsuit
The claims against DeWitt center on his on-camera statements in the Netflix documentary about how the Guardian covered the Murdaugh family. The lawsuit quotes his recollection that “we could not put the Murdaugh name in the story unless we wanted to face lawsuits” and that “everyone knew who we were talking about,” calling those statements reckless.6Court TV. Buster Murdaugh Sues Netflix, Warner Bros. Over Stephen Smith Allegations
Buster Murdaugh has never been named as a suspect in Smith’s death. In a March 2023 statement, he said: “These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family.”7WJCL. Buster Murdaugh Stephen Smith Statement
Why the Case Became Two Cases
Soon after the filing, the defendants moved to remove the entire case to federal court in Charleston. They argued that every defendant except DeWitt was based out of state and accused Murdaugh of adding DeWitt only to keep the case in Hampton County, where the Murdaugh family had long been influential. Federal court would have pulled jurors from nine Lowcountry counties instead of Hampton County alone.8The State. Buster Murdaugh Libel Case Removal to Federal Court
On February 13, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Richard M. Gergel split the lawsuit. Because DeWitt is a South Carolina resident, his inclusion destroyed the complete diversity of citizenship that federal jurisdiction requires. Judge Gergel found Murdaugh had a “plausible libel claim” against DeWitt, so his inclusion was not a sham. The Netflix-related claims, along with those against Cinemart, Gannett, and DeWitt, went back to the Hampton County Court of Common Pleas. The judge severed the claims against the Warner Bros. Discovery defendants and kept those in federal court in Charleston.9SC Press. Split Decision in Murdaugh Libel Case Will Result in Two Trials10WSAV. Buster Murdaugh’s Libel Lawsuit Ordered to Be Moved to Hampton Co.
The Federal Case: Ruling and Settlement
The Warner Bros. Discovery defendants moved to dismiss. On June 9, 2025, Judge Gergel denied those motions in a nine-page order, finding Murdaugh had adequately stated a claim for defamation by implication. The judge wrote that the documentaries may have falsely implied guilt by “juxtaposing certain statements” and omitting information that pointed away from Murdaugh.11FITSNews. Federal Judge Allows Buster Murdaugh’s Defamation Lawsuit to Proceed
On actual malice, the court found Murdaugh had cleared the pleading bar by alleging the defendants ignored contradictory information.12FITSNews. Media Companies Formally Deny Buster Murdaugh’s Defamation Claims Judge Gergel rejected the First Amendment defenses at that stage, reasoning that truthful facts can be arranged so as to imply a defamatory falsehood, especially where editorial choices suggest endorsement of a false inference. He held that the fair report privilege and substantial truth defenses did not apply because the allegations went beyond reporting on government records. The case moved into discovery.11FITSNews. Federal Judge Allows Buster Murdaugh’s Defamation Lawsuit to Proceed
On February 11, 2026, a court filing disclosed that Murdaugh and the Warner Bros. Discovery defendants had settled. The federal case was dismissed with prejudice, so it cannot be refiled and Murdaugh has given up the right to bring those claims again against those defendants. Terms, including any dollar figure, were not disclosed.1Court TV. Buster Murdaugh Reaches Settlement in Lawsuit Against Warner Bros.13Fox Carolina. Buster Murdaugh Reaches Settlement Defamation Lawsuit Against Warner Bros.
The Netflix Case Is Still Pending
The state court case against Netflix, Cinemart LLC, Gannett Co., and Michael DeWitt Jr. is active in the Hampton County Court of Common Pleas. Netflix and Cinemart have filed a motion to dismiss with a supporting memorandum arguing the documentary is protected speech. No ruling on that motion has been made public, no trial date has been set, and no settlement has been announced.1Court TV. Buster Murdaugh Reaches Settlement in Lawsuit Against Warner Bros.
The Stephen Smith Case at the Center
Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old nursing student and a classmate of Buster Murdaugh, was found dead on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County on July 8, 2015. A medical examiner concluded he died of blunt head trauma sustained as a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. His car was found abandoned nearly three miles away, and within days Highway Patrol was told of rumors that Murdaugh and others had struck Smith with an object from a vehicle. The case went cold in 2016.14CBS News. Stephen Smith Death South Carolina Murdaugh Country Timeline
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division reopened the investigation in June 2021 during its inquiry into the murders of Buster’s mother and brother, and later classified Smith’s death as a homicide.15WJCL. Stephen Smith Homicide A March 2023 exhumation and second autopsy confirmed blunt trauma and found no evidence of a gunshot wound. As of mid-2025, the investigation is active, no charges have been filed, and SLED has identified two other individuals as persons of interest and stated there is no evidence linking the Murdaugh family to the crime.16FITSNews. Unsolved Carolinas: The Homicide of Stephen Smith