Skip to content
Alex Murdaugh— Case Archive
personpersonMichael GunnMichael GunnPrincipal and settlement consultant at Forge Consulting, the structured-settlement company that was not affiliated with Alex Murdaugh's private DBA Forge account.← All People
Witness

Michael Gunn

Courtroom still of Michael Gunn.

Principal and settlement consultant at Forge Consulting, the structured-settlement company that was not affiliated with Alex Murdaugh's private DBA Forge account.

Appeared2023 Murder Trial
229 lines·11 proceedings·7 mentions

About

Michael Gunn testified as a Forge Consulting settlement consultant. He explained how the company handled structured settlements and attorney-fee structures, providing a basis for distinguishing Forge Consulting from a separate Bank of America account bearing the Forge name.

Gunn said Forge Consulting generally could not accept ordinary client funds or attorney fees that an attorney had already received. He described a proposed annuity for Deon Martin that was opened but never funded despite repeated expiration notices. He also recounted September 2021 inquiries in which none of roughly ten to twelve names on an initial list had company files, while Deon Martin appeared on a second list.

Gunn denied receiving the disputed checks, authorizing Alex Murdaugh to use the Forge name, or having any affiliation with the account titled to Richard A. Murdaugh doing business as Forge. Although he said Murdaugh had received a general explanation of legitimate settlement structures, Gunn distinguished that knowledge from the separate account shown in the financial evidence.

On cross-examination, Gunn said company records showed no connection between Maggie or Paul Murdaugh and the DBA Forge account, and no Forge Consulting life-insurance sale involving either of them. He also described his relationship with the Murdaugh family as friendly but limited, largely involving professional settings and family-oriented legal conventions, and qualified several recollections about the extent of their social contact.

Trial Record (11)

20232023 Murder TrialJan 23, 2023 – Mar 3, 2023Called by prosecution

Michael Gunn explained Forge Consulting's structured-settlement practices and testified that a Bank of America account bearing the Forge name was not affiliated with the company. Cross-examination addressed the limits of the company's records and his professional and social familiarity with the Murdaugh family.

Day 9

DirectMichael Gunn - DirectMichael GunnCreighton Waters3highlights91lines spoken

Summary

Michael Gunn distinguished Forge Consulting's legitimate structured-settlement work from the Richard Murdaugh DBA Forge account and testified that the reviewed client-trust checks did not reach legitimate Forge Consulting.

Highlights (3)

Quote“We sent over some quotes. We got some information back from the defendant. He sent us information, a signed option, which I would assume was Mr. Martin's, sent some information back and -- annuities, you have to understand, are priced on a daily market. Sometimes that rate is good for a week or two. I sent several emails back saying hey, this rate is going to expire. We need to move forward; we need to move forward. And ultimately we ended up closing the case because we never got a response.”— Michael GunnGunn gave a detailed account of why the proposed Deon Martin structure was closed without completion.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“I spoke with Lee Cope, and he told me that Alex had been using an account called Forge to process the checks.”— Michael GunnGunn identified the source and substance of what he learned about the account using the Forge name.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶

Day 11

ProceduralRule 404(b) Ruling and Limiting InstructionMentioned

Summary

The court admitted alleged financial-crimes evidence under Rule 404(b), Rule 403, and res gestae, clarified that the ruling extended beyond June 7, and addressed the defense's request for a limiting instruction and preserved objection.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 12

Day 13

DirectAnnette Griswold - DirectAnnette GriswoldCreighton Waters1highlightMentioned

Summary

Annette Griswold described suspicious Forge and Faris fee disbursements, an unresolved law-firm inquiry on June 7, and her September discovery of a deposited fee check in Alex Murdaugh's office.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Highlights (1)

testimony highlightGriswold testified that Alex Murdaugh instructed her to list payees as Forge rather than Forge Consulting and often said he would personally deliver the resulting checks to Michael Gunn.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
DirectMichael Gunn - DirectMichael GunnJohnny E. James3highlights98lines spoken

Summary

Michael Gunn explained legitimate structured-settlement practices, described an unfunded Deon Martin proposal and Lee Cope's client-file inquiries, and testified that Murdaugh's DBA Forge account was not a Forge Consulting account.

Highlights (3)

Quote“Very jovial, friendly, never met a stranger, just a, you know, generally nice guy.”— Michael GunnGunn described his initial favorable impression of Murdaugh before distinguishing that professional familiarity from the disputed financial activity.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“I would say at least four, maybe five emails saying hey, this is going to expire. This is going to expire if you don't fund this now. And after getting no response after multiple weeks, we just closed our file.”— Michael GunnGunn explained why the proposed Deon Martin annuity was never completed.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“And I got back with Mr. Cope and told him I didn't have a file open on any of these people.”— Michael GunnGunn reported the result of checking Forge Consulting's records for the first group of client names supplied by Lee Cope.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
CrossMichael Gunn - CrossMichael GunnJim Griffin2highlights34lines spoken

Summary

Michael Gunn described his limited social relationship with the Murdaughs, their family attendance at legal conventions, and Alex's visibly upset demeanor after Maggie and Paul's funeral.

Highlights (2)

Quote“I think so. I mean, we still didn't really hang out much after the wedding other than professional settings, and that could have been just because of the distance between the towns, but yeah, we would keep in touch, no doubt.”— Michael GunnGunn qualified the suggested closeness of the friendship, describing continued contact but little socializing outside professional settings.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“He was a broken man; you could tell he was very upset. He was -- yeah, he was very upset.”— Michael GunnGunn gave a direct description of Alex Murdaugh's demeanor after Maggie and Paul's funeral.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶

Day 20