Family of man who died in Titan sub implosion sues OceanGate for $50 million

by Lauren Irwin - 08/07/24 9:02 PM ET

This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for the submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP)

The estate of the French man Paul-Henri Nargeolet filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against OceanGate, the company that created the Titan submersible that exploded last year.

The lawsuit was filed in King County, Wash., against the underwater exploration company that intended to bring five people to the wreck site of the Titanic at the bottom of the ocean in June 2023.

All five people, including Nargeolet, were killed when the submersible imploded, kicking off a days-long frenzy to find the craft after it lost communication.

The lawsuit alleges “serious issues” with the submersible and its “troubled history.”

After the international search-and-rescue mission concluded, OceanGate’s legitimacy was called into question after reports revealed its CEO, Stockton Rush, who was also killed in the mission, may have cut corners when constructing the submarine.

“I think it’s telling that even though the University of Washington and Boeing had key roles in the design of previous but similar versions of the Titan, both have recently disclaimed any involvement at all in the submersible model that imploded,” Tony Buzbee, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement.

Buzbee said he is hopeful the lawsuit will help the family get answers about what happened and who was involved.

Nargeolet, known as “Mr. Titanic,” participated in 37 dives to the Titanic site, the most of any diver in the world. He was regarded as one of the most knowledgeable people about the crash and was designated as an employee of OceanGate, The Associated Press reported.

The attorneys argue Rush failed to disclose key facts about the condition of the submersible, which imploded less than two hours after descending.

Previous passengers on the Titan said they knew that an implosion was going to happen at some point because of all the technological glitches the submarine had and pointed to Rush as an “overconfident pioneer,” the AP reported last year.

OceanGate suspended all operations last July.

A spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, the AP said.

Tags OceanGate titan submersible Titanic