Beaufort law firm scrubs all mention of Cory Fleming after Murdaugh allegations - Hilton Head Island Packet
Attorneys lay out how Alex Murdaugh diverted millions from client's death settlement
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Four days after the S.C. Supreme Court suspended Beaufort lawyer Cory Fleming’s license to practice law, his law firm has scrubbed all mention of Fleming from its website URL, logo and name.
The Beaufort-based law firm — where Fleming appears to have been partner for almost 25 years — has dropped Fleming’s name and is now called Moss & Kuhn, the firm’s website shows.
Partner Fred Kuhn has not returned multiple calls from The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette to confirm whether Fleming was ousted from the firm.
On Oct. 8, Fleming received an interim suspension by the high court following allegations that he helped Alex Murdaugh divert funds in a wrongful death settlement intended for the heirs of Murdaugh’s housekeeper.
The suspension comes after a court filing last week, attached to a lawsuit filed Sept. 15, accused Fleming of assisting Murdaugh in routing to Murdaugh’s personal account more than $3.5 million in settlement money. The money was meant for the sons of Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaugh family housekeeper for 20 years.
According to his Linkedin profile, Fleming joined the Beaufort law firm in 1996 — two years after graduating from the University of South Carolina School of Law. His profile still describes him as an owner of Moss, Kuhn & Fleming.
Following Fleming’s interim suspension, the S.C. Bar’s website describes his membership as “Not Good Standing.”
Gloria Satterfield settlement
Satterfield died in what was described as a trip-and-fall accident on the Murdaugh property in 2018. Her death is currently under criminal investigation by S.C. Law Enforcement Division.
According to the Satterfield sons’ lawsuit, Murdaugh suggested to the sons that they employ Fleming as their attorney so they could win a fair wrongful death settlement from him. They agreed, and later Fleming suggested that another associate, banker Chad Westendorf, take over as their representative. They agreed to that, too.
The lawsuit, brought by South Carolina lawyers Eric Bland and Ronald Richter Jr., alleges this is how the two sons — Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott — were cut out of the process and left in the dark.
The lawsuit states Fleming made separate wrongful death claims: one for $505,000, and one for $3.8 million.
Fleming and Westendorf met Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen, who approved both claims. Checks attached to last week’s filing show that Fleming wrote the checks to “Forge,” a reference to an Atlanta-based firm, Forge Consulting LLC. The company helps clients structure settlements to stretch over time.
The lawsuit alleges that the checks didn’t go to Forge in Atlanta but instead to a P.O. Box in Hampton, as directed by Murdaugh.
More than $3.5 million was sent by Fleming via Murdaugh to “Forge,” according to the documents.
Last week, Fleming apologized and placed all the blame on Murdaugh, his college roommate, for the alleged scheme.
“When it came time to disburse the settlement funds, Mr. Fleming trusted his close friend and colleague to deal with him truthfully and honorably, only to be misled and deceived in one of the worst possible ways for a lawyer: Alex Murdaugh lied to Mr. Fleming to steal client funds,” the statement said.
Fleming, in two recent statements, has tried to distance himself from Murdaugh. The Satterfield lawsuit seeks his testimony, along with Murdaugh’s and Westendorf’s, to explain what happened and where the money went.
Fleming’s license suspension is a placeholder while the the S.C. Court’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel, an arm of the Supreme Court, investigates. If the office determines the allegations are founded, it will forward its findings to the Commission on Lawyer Conduct.
The commission then determines whether misconduct took place and if so, recommends a sanction to the high court. The court will examine the commission’s findings and determine whether there is misconduct. If it finds misconduct, it decides sanctions.
None of the findings becomes public until the Supreme Court issues a public determination and sanction.
source: https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article254951977.html
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