(NewsNation) — Alex Murdaugh, sentenced to life earlier this year for killing his wife and younger son, “invented” a story about his family dogs causing his housekeeper’s fatal fall, according to a legal filing obtained by NewsNation local affiliate WSAV.

The housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, died in February 2018, weeks after falling down the stairs on Murdaugh’s South Carolina property.

“No dogs were involved in the fall of Gloria Satterfield on February 2, 2018,” a court document filed Monday states, according to the New York Post. “After Ms. Satterfield’s death, [Murdaugh] invented Ms. Satterfield’s purported statement that dogs caused her to fall to force his insurers to make a settlement payment.”

Murdaugh, according to the Post, secretly took $3.8 million in insurance payments meant for Satterfield’s sons after he told them to sue him over their mother’s death on his property, claiming he had liability.

Although he told Satterfield’s children a settlement was never reached, he allegedly stole the payments. Nautilus Insurance later sued Muradugh and an alleged co-conspirator in May 2022. WSAV reports that the federal court filing is an answer to the insurance company’s suit against the disbarred lawyer, in which they are trying to get back the settlement money he allegedly stole.

Murdaugh was also arrested in 2018 on two felony counts in connection with the missing settlement funds in Satterfield’s wrongful death suit.

Monday’s legal filing claims Murdaugh acted alone, and the Satterfield children didn’t know about the alleged insurance fraud. Nautilus, the filing said per the Post, should be going after the Satterfield children and estate for recovery of lost money if the insurance claims were fraudulent in the first place.

The Satterfield family attorney, Eric Bland, posted his thoughts on Twitter.

“Seems there is buzz because liar liar Alex now says he allegedly made up the story that Gloria Satterfield didn’t fall down Moselle stairs by his dogs,” Bland wrote. “Since when did Alex become the modicum of honesty and credibility.”

Technically, Bland wrote, the money Nautilus paid never came to his clients. Since the funds were stolen by Alex, the attorney said, it could be argued his clients are still owed the money.

“These insurers had investigators investigate the claim thoroughly before they paid on the claim. Insurers are not in the business of paying out millions of dollars frivolous or fraudulent claims,” Bland said. “Additionally, they also had lawyers who did their jobs and investigated the claim before it was paid. This is nothing but noise. Just gutless people trying to continue to victimize Gloria’s siblings and children.”

Urja Sinha contributed to this article.