Current:Home > MyExplorer’s family could have difficulty winning their lawsuit against Titan sub owner, experts say-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Explorer’s family could have difficulty winning their lawsuit against Titan sub owner, experts say
lotradecoin FAQcenter View Date:2024-12-26 05:45:00
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A lawsuit stemming from the Titan submersible disaster felt inevitable, but winning a big judgment against the owner of the vessel could be very difficult, legal experts said on Thursday.
The family of French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, one of five people who died aboard the submersible in June 2023, filed a more than $50 million civil lawsuit against submersible owner OceanGate earlier this week. Nargeolet’s estate said in the lawsuit that the crew aboard the sub experienced “terror and mental anguish” before the sub imploded and its operator was guilty of gross negligence.
Now comes the hard part — winning in court.
Legal experts said Nargeolet’s estate may get some money from the lawsuit, but it could be a fraction of the amount sought. It’s also unclear if there will be any money available, as OceanGate has since shut down operations, they said.
Some say that the passengers onboard the Titan assumed risk when they got aboard an experimental submersible headed for the Titanic wreck site.
“They made choices to go do this, and it seems to me it was a 50/50 shot anyway it was going to work,” said John Perlstein, a personal injury lawyer in California and Nevada. “They bear responsibility too, as well as the guy who built and piloted this thing.”
Nargeolet’s estate filed its lawsuit on Tuesday in King County, Washington, as OceanGate was a Washington-based company. A spokesperson for OceanGate declined to comment on aspects of the lawsuit.
Attorneys for Nargeolet’s estate are hinging their case in part on the emotional and mental pain of the passengers on board the Titan. The attorneys, with the Buzbee Law Firm in Houston, Texas, said that the crew “were well aware they were going to die, before dying,” since they dropped weights about 90 minutes into the dive.
But that could be hard to prove, said Richard Daynard, distinguished professor of law at Northeastern University in Boston. Attorneys will have a difficult time demonstrating that the implosion and resulting deaths were not instantaneous, he said.
It could, however, be possible to prove negligence, Daynard said. But even that doesn’t guarantee a big-money judgment, he said.
“A settlement is a possibility, but presumably if the case has a very tiny chance of winning, the settlement will be a tiny fraction of the amount sought,” Daynard said.
The Titan made its final dive on June 18, 2023, and lost contact with its support vessel about two hours later. After a search and rescue mission that drew international attention, the Titan wreckage was found on the ocean floor about 984 feet (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
OceanGate CEO and cofounder Stockton Rush was operating the Titan when it imploded. In addition to Rush and Nargeolet, the implosion killed British adventurer Hamish Harding and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood. No one on board survived.
It wasn’t surprising to see a lawsuit filed stemming from the Titan case, but Nargeolet’s estate could be suing a company that has little assets, said Ted Spaulding, an Atlanta-based personal injury attorney. He characterized the lawsuit as a “Hail Mary” attempt at relief.
“I’m not sure there is anyone else to sue but OceanGate in this case. Maybe they could have sued the CEO and co-founder of the company Stockton Rush if he had assets, but he died on the submersible too,” Spaulding said.
Nargeolet was a veteran explorer known as “Mr. Titanic” who participated in 37 dives to the Titanic site, the most of any diver in the world, according to the lawsuit. His death was mourned around the world by members of the undersea exploration community.
There is an ongoing, high-level investigation into the Titan’s implosion, which the U.S. Coast Guard quickly convened after the disaster. A key public hearing that is part of the investigation is scheduled to take place in September.
veryGood! (33745)
Related
- How 'Millionaire' host Jimmy Kimmel helped Team Barinholtz win stunning top prize
- 6 of 9 deputies charged in death of man beaten in Memphis jail plead not guilty
- Eagles' signature 'tush push' is the play that NFL has no answer for
- Abercrombie & Fitch slapped with lawsuit alleging sexual abuse of its male models under former CEO
- Get Designer Michael Kors Bags on Sale Including a $398 Purse for $59 & More Deals Starting at $49
- Timeline shows Maine suspect moved swiftly to carry out mass shooting rampage and elude police
- Zillow, The Knot find more couples using wedding registries to ask for help buying a home
- Is ConocoPhillips Looking to Expand its Controversial Arctic Oil Project?
- Drugs to treat diabetes, heart disease and blood cancers among those affected by price negotiations
- Halsey and Avan Jogia Make Their Relationship Instagram Official
Ranking
- Britney Spears' Ex Sam Asghari Reveals Special Girl in His Life—But It's Not What You Think
- 5 Things podcast: Sexual assault nurses are in short supply, leaving victims without care
- Researchers find signs of rivers on Mars, a potential indicator of ancient life
- US expands its effort to cut off funding for Hamas
- These six House races are ones to watch in this year’s election
- Taylor Swift Reveals Original Lyrics for 1989’s “New Romantics” and “Wonderland”
- Power to the people? Only half have the right to propose and pass laws
- Brie Larson's 'Lessons in Chemistry': The biggest changes between the book and TV show
Recommendation
-
The State Fair of Texas is banning firearms, drawing threats of legal action from Republican AG
-
'Nomance': Shows with sex scenes growing more unpopular with Gen Z, according to new study
-
Coyotes’ Travis Dermott on using Pride tape, forcing NHL’s hand: ‘Had to be done’
-
Smaller employers weigh a big-company fix for scarce primary care: Their own medical clinics
-
Judge tells Google to brace for shakeup of Android app store as punishment for running a monopoly
-
What LeBron James thinks of Lakers after shaky start and struggles with continuity
-
Mass arrests target LGBTQ+ people in Nigeria while abuses against them are ignored, activists say
-
5 things to know about a stunning week for the economy
Tags
-
lotradecoin historical trading data access
lotradecoin supported cryptocurrencies list
lotradecoin liquidity provider benefits
lotradecoin cryptocurrency exchange
lotradecoin integration with payment systems
lotradecoin high-volume trader discounts
lotradecoin top traders leaderboard
best strategies for lotradecoin trading
lotradecoin liquidity pool investment