Buster Murdaugh, the son of convictedkiller Alex Murdaugh, sued Netflix, Warner Bros. and others for defamation, saying he was falsely accused of murder in the death of his high school classmate Stephen Smith in a 2023 streaming series.
The suit, filed Friday in a Hampton County, South Carolina, court, says that the allegations have "irreparably damaged" his reputation and have caused him to suffer mental anguish.
"These statements about the Plaintiff are defamatory and falsely accuse the Plaintiff of committing a crime of moral turpitude," it states.
In February 2023, Netflix began streaming "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal." The series aired two seasons featuring three episodes each about the deaths of Smith, and Buster Murdaugh's mother, Margaret, 52, and brother, Paul, 22.
Alex Murdaugh, a former South Carolina lawyer, was convicted in their deaths and sentenced to life without parole.
The suit says that the series depicted "a young man with red hair carrying a baseball bat" during a reenactment of Smith’s death.
The filing states that Murdaugh "has red hair, and it is readily ascertainable from the content of the series that the creators were depicting the Plaintiff as the murderer of Stephen Smith."
Smith, 19, was found on a rural road around 15 miles from the home of Alex Murdaugh on July 8, 2015. An autopsy report at the time said he had been struck by a vehicle as he was apparently walking on the road after running out of gas. Smith’s family has said they do not believe it was a hit-and-run.
The death is being investigated as a homicide, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, or SLED, said last year. No one has been arrested or charged in Smith’s death. Netflix declined to comment on Tuesday. Cinemart LLC, which created and produced the series, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cinemart is named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
The suit also mentions "Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty" and "Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty," both of which aired in 2022. The filing says the documentaries also falsely suggested and accused Murdaugh of murder.
The suit names Warner Bros. Discovery and Blackfin, the companies behind "Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty," as well as Campfire Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainment, which are behind "Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty," as defendants.
NBC News reached out to the companies for comment on the lawsuit.
Murdaugh has tried to distance himself in the past from Smith's death, saying in a statement last year that the rumors are "baseless" and "false."
"I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family," he said.
The lawsuit says that Murdaugh has never been notified by law enforcement of any allegations against him connected to the death.
Minyvonne Burkeis a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News.
