Family sues OceanGate for $50M over Titanic sub disaster

The family of French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who died in the June 2023 Titan submersible implosion near the Titanic wreck, has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the operator OceanGate, alleging gross negligence.

The lawsuit claims the Titan’s crew endured “terror and mental anguish” before the disaster. OceanGate has since ceased operations. It alleges that the crew heard the carbon-fiber hull cracking under pressure and knew the sub was about to implode.

Nargeolet, known as “Mr. Titanic” for his 37 dives to the wreck site, was among five who perished, including Pakistani father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, British explorer Hamish Harding, and OceanGate founder Stockton Rush.

The suit also alleges that OceanGate and its CEO Rush ignored safety warnings, using carbon fiber instead of titanium in the submersible’s construction. The suit also cites Rush’s use of a video game controller to operate the sub, raising further safety concerns.