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The family of the late French explorer Paul Henri-Nargeolet has filed a lawsuit against OceanGate, Inc., and others. The suit is reportedly seeking over $50 million. As The Shade Room previously reported, Henri-Nargeolet was killed after OceanGate’s Titan submersible imploded in June 2023. At the time, it was attempting to visit the remains of the Titanic.
The Buzbee Law Firm published a notice via PR Newswire on Tuesday, August 6. The release explained that Henri-Nargeolet’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OceanGate “and other individuals and entities.”
The suit asserts that the Titan was attempting to visit the Titanic wreck on June 18, 2023.
“OceanGate, Inc… owned and operated the Titan submersible, which while attempting to visit the wreck of the Titanic on June 18, 2023, imploded less than two hours after submersing, killing all five aboard,” the release states.
The family is alleging that OceanGate’s founder, Stockton Rush, “failed to disclose about the condition and durability of the Titan submersible, its composition, its components…” Additionally, the suit reportedly alleges that “many of the particulars about the vessel’s flaws and shortcomings were not disclosed and were purposely concealed.”
According to AP News, Henri-Nargeolet’s family has alleged that the Titan crew, which included Rush and three others, experienced “terror and mental anguish” in their last moments.
About 90 minutes into the sub’s dive, it reportedly “dropped weights.” This action allegedly indicates that the “team had aborted or attempted to abort the dive.”
Furthermore, the lawsuit adds that the crew “were well aware they were going to die before dying.”
“While the exact cause of failure may never be determined, experts agree that the Titan’s crew would have realized exactly what was happening. Common sense dictates that the crew were well aware they were going to die, before dying,” the lawsuit reads before later adding. “The crew may well have heard the carbon fiber’s crackling noise grow more intense as the weight of the water pressed on Titan’s hull. The crew lost communications and perhaps power as well. By experts’ reckoning, they would have continued to descend, in full knowledge of the vessel’s irreversible failures, experiencing terror and mental anguish prior to the Titan ultimately imploding.”
The outlet reports that reps for OceanGate have declined to comment on the lawsuit.
According to the outlet, the Titan implosion also claimed the lives of British adventurer Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, and his teenage son, Suleman Dawood.
In late June 2023, authorities reportedly shared that presumed human remains had been recovered from the Titan wreckage, per The Shade Room.
By July, OceanGate reportedly suspended its exhibitions, per The Shade Room. To date, the company’s official website asserts that “all exploration and commercial operations” remain suspended.
Meanwhile, AP News reports that a “high-level investigation” remains “ongoing” by the U.S. Coast Guard.
