Camp Mystic, a summer camp in Texas, is seeking bankruptcy protection amid lawsuits filed by families of victims of a deadly flood in 2025. The camp has asked a bankruptcy judge to extend legal protections to individual members of the Eastland family, who own and operate the camp.
Background
The flood, which occurred on July 4, 2025, killed 25 campers, two counselors, and the camp’s director, Richard “Dick” Eastland. The victims have been referred to in court documents as “Heaven’s 27.” Families of the victims have filed lawsuits against the camp, accusing its operators of negligence and wrongful death.
Camp Mystic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 24, 2026, which automatically paused most lawsuits against the camp. The camp is now seeking to extend this protection to individual members of the Eastland family, who did not personally file for bankruptcy.
Request for Protection
The camp argues that extending the protection to the Eastland family members would help create a more organized process for resolving claims and allow all legal disputes to be handled through bankruptcy court. The camp claims that this is not an attempt to avoid responsibility, but rather a way to address all claims through the bankruptcy proceedings in a single forum.
The camp also warns that allowing individual lawsuits against the Eastland family members to proceed could drain the $6 million liability insurance coverage available during the deadly event. Additionally, the camp argues that legal findings made in separate courts, without the camp’s direct participation, could create binding legal precedents that would negatively impact the bankruptcy case.
Mediation
Along with seeking legal protections for the Eastland family, Camp Mystic is also asking the families involved in the lawsuits and an official committee of parents who lost children in the flood to participate in mediation. The goal of these discussions would be to work toward a reorganization plan as part of the bankruptcy process and determine whether the parties can reach a resolution without prolonged litigation.
Original reporting: San Antonio, TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
