Camp Mystic asks for legal protection for members of Eastland family

Camp Mystic is requesting that individual members of the Eastland family, which has owned and operated the camp for decades, be protected from being sued personally while the camp’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case moves forward.  The request comes after families who lost children in the July 4, 2025 flood filed lawsuits accusing Camp Mystic operators of negligence and wrongful death.

The flood killed 25 campers, two counselors and camp director and co-owner Richard Eastland.  The victims have been collectively referred to in court documents as “Heaven’s 27.”

When Camp Mystic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 24, 2026, most lawsuits against the camp were automatically paused under federal bankruptcy law.  That legal protection is known as an automatic stay and prevents creditors and plaintiffs from pursuing claims against a company while it reorganizes.

Camp Mystic is now asking the court to extend that same protection to individual members of the Eastland family, who did not personally file for bankruptcy.  In court filings, Camp Mystic argues the protections would help create a more organized process for resolving claims and allow all legal disputes to be handled through bankruptcy court rather than through separate lawsuits spread across multiple courts.

The camp said the request 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 argued that allowing individual lawsuits against the Eastland family members to proceed could drain the $6 million liability insurance coverage that was available during the flooding event.  The filing states that any individual judgements against them could reduce the money available to pay claims to the families.

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.  If the families decline to participate in voluntary mediation, Camp Mystic said it intends to ask the bankruptcy court to require it.

At least five lawsuits were filed before the bankruptcy filing, accusing camp operators of negligence, wrongful death, premises liability, intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of Fiduciary duty and failure to warn, among other claims.  Camp Mystic moved those cases to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, where they remain pending.  The camp has also filed a motion to transfer the cases to Houston, where the bankruptcy cases were filed.

A bankruptcy judge will now decide whether legal protections should be extended to the Eastland family members.  The lawsuits themselves are not erased by the bankruptcy filing.  The claims remain active and will need to be resolved through a negotiated settlement, a reorganization plan approved by the court, or litigation.