Parker’s Corporation seeks separate trial in wrongful death suit

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Lawyers for Parker’s Corporation are asking for a separate trial in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Mallory Beach died in 2019 in a boating crash in Beaufort County. Beach’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit that named

Murdaugh’s son Paul, was driving the boat at the time of the crash and was facing a civil lawsuit before he was killed in June of last year.

According to authorities, it was at a Parker’s in Ridgeland in February of 2019 where Paul Murdaugh, who was not of drinking age, was seen purchasing alcohol before a boat crash in which Paul was driving and Mallory Beach was killed.

The lawsuit, which was filed in March 2019, names Parker’s, its CEO and others, including Alex Murdaugh.

It alleges that Parker’s sold alcoholic beverages to a customer they either knew or should have known was under the age of 21 and claims the business failed to adequately train, supervise or monitor its employees and failed to implement policies “regarding the responsible sale of alcoholic beverages” or failing to insure that those policies were followed.

Earlier this year, Alex Murdaugh was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of his wife, Maggie, and their youngest son, Paul.

Lawyers for Parker’s want their trial to be separate from that of Alex Murdaugh and say they would be ready to start as soon as Oct. 3. In a filing, attorneys say being tied to Murdaugh is stopping them from having a fair trial.