Journalist Vicky Ward dismissed from Mallory Beach lawsuit after naming source of photos

Investigative journalist Vicky Ward has been dismissed from a lawsuit related to the death of Mallory Beach.

It comes after the journalist signed an affidavit, provided to McClatchy, attesting that she had received confidential materials related to Mallory Beach, a 19-year-old woman who was killed in a 2019 boat crash, from an investigative journalist once hired by Greg Parker, the founder and owner of Parker’s Kitchen and a defendant in the Beach family’s wrongful death lawsuit.

The document has solved a mystery that had wreaked havoc in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in Beach’s death.

Both the photos and video were provided by Gregg Roman, an investigative journalist who was executive producer of the documentary on the Murdaugh family that Ward was involved in, she wrote in her affidavit.

Ward was pulled into the legal showdown brewing between the Beach family and Parker when an internal trailer created by the company producing the documentary was posted online. It contained photos of Beach’s body and sections of a video taken from a confidential mediation presentation prepared by the Beach family attorney, Mark Tinsley. The Beach family have been engaged in a wrongful death lawsuit against Parker’s Kitchen over their daughter’s death since 2019.

In her affidavit, Ward wrote that she was “unaware” that possessing it “might be in violation of any law or court rules.”

After the release of the trailer in 2021, the Beach family filed a personal injury lawsuit. It named Ward, Parker, Parker’s attorneys and a private investigation firm. The lawsuit, filed in Hampton County, accused the defendants of conspiring to weaken the Beach family’s resolve in the ongoing wrongful death lawsuit, which they deny.

“I have never had any personal interest in the outcome of any lawsuit... regarding Mallory Beach’s death,” Ward wrote. “I have always sympathized with the Beach family greatly for their terrible loss.”

Beach was killed when a boat allegedly driven by a drunk Paul Murdaugh crashed into a bridge in 2019.

Among those named in the Beach family’s wrongful death lawsuit are Paul’s father, disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh, as well as Parker’s company, which owns the convenience store where Paul bought beer with his brother’s ID before the fatal crash.

Paul and his mother, Maggie, were shot and killed on June 7, 2021. Murdaugh has since been charged with both their murders and is set to stand trial Jan. 23.

As the personal injury lawsuit over the documentary trailer has unfolded, Parker’s attorneys have tried to get Tinsley dismissed from the case. They have also subpoenaed Tinsley for his communications with journalists including Ward, implying that he was the source of the leak.

Tinsley has categorically denied that he was behind the leak, a position that was vindicated with the release of the affidavit.

Parker has similarly denied any connection to the material in the trailer.

“Gregg Roman was not authorized by Mr. Parker or anyone associated with Parker’s to share any materials with Vicky Ward,” said Mark Moore, attorney for Parker and his company, Gregory M. Parker, Inc. “Vicky Ward’s affidavit confirms that neither Gregory M. Parker, Parker’s Corporation nor its attorneys provided any confidential materials or information to Ms. Ward.”

In her affidavit, Ward wrote that on Sept. 9, 2021, Roman texted her a link to download the video, which contained sections of a confidential mediation presentation prepared by the Beach family and their lawyer.

A few days later, Ward said that Roman emailed her photos taken by law enforcement of Beach’s body.

In her affidavit, Ward maintained that she was not aware of the existence of either the photos or the video before receiving them. She also reiterated that the trailer had been assembled and put online without her knowledge.

On Thursday, Tinsley filed a motion with the consent of Ward’s attorney, Edward Fenno, dismissing Ward as a defendant in the case.

“My sole purpose in all aspects of my working on the documentary was to report the news and nothing more,” Ward wrote in her affidavit.