Renee Beach has agreed to settle a wrongful death case alleging that Greg Parker, CEO of Parker’s Kitchen convenience stores, was responsible for her daughter’s death following a February 2019 boat crash in Beaufort County.
Liz Farrell was the first to confirm the $15 million settlement with the Beach’s attorney, Mark Tinsley, on Sunday afternoon. The other victims — Morgan Doughty, Miley Altman, Anthony Cook, and Connor Cook — will receive a substantial amount of money in addition to what the Beach family is getting.
“Frankly, it’s a resolution that should have occurred long before now. Reason prevailed over posturing,” said Joe McCulloch, the attorney who represents Connor Cook.
Tinsley could not be reached for further comment, though he did tweet a photo of himself wearing a ball cap that said “FUGP” with an image of a gas pump on it.
After several pre-trial losses, Parker’s Kitchen was out of moves, and his insurance company appeared to sense the danger ahead. The increasing reality of a Hampton County jury deciding on an outsized award for the Beaches and other boat crash victims was far too big a risk for the lawyers representing Parker’s policies. While talks of mediation began to circulate prior to Friday’s hearing in the case, it wasn’t until Saturday that it appeared to be a sure thing.
Beach was a passenger on a boat allegedly driven by Paul Murdaugh when it crashed into a bridge pylon on Archers Creek in Beaufort County. Beach was thrown from the boat and drowned after the accident. The suit against Parker’s Kitchen was filed in March 2019 because a store clerk allegedly sold alcohol to an underage Murdaugh, who allegedly presented his older brother’s ID.
Parker’s Kitchen admitted no wrongdoing as part of the settlement, but Greg Parker is still named in a separate civil conspiracy case filed by the Beach family. Convicted killer and accused swindler Alex Murdaugh, another defendant in the case, also agreed to the settlement terms, which completely resolves the wrongful death matter.
We’ll have more details this week on True Sunlight.
Contact Liz Farrell
Liz Farrell
Liz is the Chief of Fresh Hell Media, but also collaborates with Luna shark Productions to write and edit MMP and COJ episodes.
Liz was named 2018’s top columnist in the state by South Carolina Press Association and is back after taking a nearly two-year break from corporate journalism to reclaim her soul.
Liz has lived in the Lowcountry since 2003. She is an award-winning journalist and co-host of Murdaugh Murders Podcast – now True Sunlight Podcast – and Cup of Justice podcast. Liz has been investigating the Murdaugh story for four (very strange) years.
Contact Beth Braden
Beth Braden
Beth Braden is an award-winning journalist with experience covering government, education and crime and courts for more than 10 years. In addition to following breaking news and writing feature stories about life in her home state of Tennessee, her by-line appears on several internationally known websites.
Beth is passionate about communicating complex information in an easy-to-understand manner and she loves to pore over public records and court documents as she seeks out patterns and context to share with her audience. In her spare time, she enjoys quilting, strange museums, and good cups of coffee.
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