Ep #357 The $176,500 Contempt Order & The Never Ending Murdaugh Saga with Mandy Matney Part 1

Investigative journalist Mandy Matney is best known for doggedly pursuing and unraveling Alex Murdaugh's financial crimes against his 100-year-old family law firm and its clients in the low country of South Carolina. Mandy’s coverage of and in-depth investigation into Murdaugh’s legal dynasty family began in 2019, when a boat crash involving 19-year-old Paul Murdaugh resulted in the death of 19 -year-old Mallory Beach. Mandy's relentless reporting continued through 2021 with the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh and extensive trial of former attorney Alex Murdaugh, who was eventually found guilty of their murders. However, in 2026 he was granted a new trial. 

Mandy told the story via the hugely successful "Murdaugh Murders Podcast" which led to the Hulu miniseries "Murdaugh: Death in the Family", on which Mandy served as executive producer.  

On 7/13/26, Judge R. Keith Kelly, Hampton County, SC, issued a contempt order against Mandy and ordered her to pay $176,500 in attorneys' fees and a fine for "wilfully" failing to appear for a deposition on March 27 2026 in the case of Beach v Parker, et al, in which she is a non-party. Of note is that the deposition did go ahead 11 days later. 

In this episode, Laura and Mandy carefully examine the timeline of events, the courtroom proceedings and the wider implications-not only for Mandy, but for investigative reporting more broadly. Laura also shares her analysis of patterns of  behaviour of those who stalk and harass and how common it is for courts not to understand motivation, threats and the ‘dripping tap’ power and control related intimidation tactics used by men against women. 

#MandyMatney #Murdaugh #PressFreedom #InvestigativeJournalism #CrimeAnalyst #Expert #Stalking #Fixation #Obsession #Analysis #Behaviour #TrueCrime #Podcast #Crime   

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Clip 

 https://www.youtube.com/live/0wmHESgSHSA?si=ASJBdEm_VAvkqGKI  

 
 
Sources 

https://www.fitsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Matney-Contempt-Order-13July2026.pdf 

 S.C. Judge Finds Murdaugh Podcaster in Contempt of Court - FITSNews 

https://www.foxnews.com/us/judge-unloads-176k-penalty-murdaugh-podcaster-mandy-matney-finding-subpoena-defiance 

https://www.youtube.com/live/0wmHESgSHSA?si=slGeBV12-u6ZeV8M 

www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article277634293.html 

https://qcnerve.com/james-seidel-carolina-fish-market/ 

TSP #156 [Part One] - A Dark Day At The House Of True Sunlight After $176,500 Contempt Sanction 
TSP #156 [Part Two] - Reasonable Fear of an Unreasonable Justice System: More on Mandy's $176,500 Punishment Without Process 

TSP #155 [Part One] - Judge McCaslin Takes the Wheel: Murdaugh Retrial Hearing Recap 

TSP #155 [Part Two] - Pink in the Courtroom: Why Greg Parker Apparently Fears Free Speech 

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