Camp Mystic files for bankruptcy, leaving lawsuits over flooding deaths in limbo
Camp Mystic, the Texas facility where more than two dozen girls were killed in flash flooding last summer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday, nearly one year after the tragedy. The filing pauses multiple lawsuits against the camp.
In the new paperwork, the camp listed debts over $10 million, with assets ranging between $100,001 to $500,000.
Summer plans and lawsuits
The new filing comes just weeks after Camp Mystic announced it would not reopen this summer. It had spent months going back and forth, debating whether it would open at all, open only portions of the camp, or remain closed entirely. But in April, officials confirmed the camp withdrew its application to the Department of State Health Services to continue operations for 2026.
The decision came amid outrage from victims’ families and lawmakers, who filed numerous lawsuits against the camp in November.
Those involved in the lawsuits are claiming negligence and a lack of emergency planning. They say Camp Mystic’s leaders waited until “it was too late” to evacuate the young girls, despite knowing the property sat in flood-prone areas along the Guadalupe River.
Missed warnings, camp errors
Camp Mystic’s director admitted some errors during an April court hearing in the lawsuits. He testified that he missed multiple flood warnings before the disaster, which killed 27 campers and counselors.
As Straight Arrow previously reported, Edward Eastland told the court he relied on weather apps and a local alert system and believed those tools were sufficient.
He said he never saw social media warnings issued by the National Weather Service and Texas emergency officials in the days before the storm. He also said camp staff did not meet to discuss the incoming weather threat.
Earlier this month, state investigators faulted the camp for inadequate planning, storm preparation, evacuations and incident management.
What the bankruptcy declaration means for the lawsuits
Wednesday’s bankruptcy filing immediately halts hearings and testimony in the lawsuits, allowing the camp to address debt and reorganize its finances.
The filing also lists the case as having assets available for eventual distribution to creditors, which often includes plaintiffs who made legal claims against the debtor, Fox News reports. Meaning, once the bankruptcy is settled, the camp will have assets it could provide to victims’ families who filed lawsuits.
Round out your reading
- Not red or blue: America’s politically homeless middle.
- Peter Thiel’s ‘Dialog’ network was super-secret. A data leak changed that.
- The novel legal strategy that Taylor Swift and Matthew McConaughey are using to fight AI.
- Illinois balances budget with new $200 million social media tax that tracks in-state users.
- When Trump serves up ‘Just the News,’ it comes with a side of bias.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
