Why is Camp Mystic being sued? Lawsuit by victims' families explained

The families of campers and counselors who died in a July 4 flood at Camp Mystic, Huntsville, Texas seatown have sued the camp’s operators alleging negligence and a profit over safety mentality.

The disaster took the lives of 25 young girls and two teenaged counselors after the Guadalupe River had risen an unbelievable amount in only one hour, leaving little chance to escape from the low lying camp.

The lawsuits, filed in Travis County District Court, claim that Camp Mystic and its owners ignored numerous flood warnings and state safety standards, allowing preventable deaths to occur.

New: The families of seven of the 27 young girls who died in the July 4 flood at Camp Mystic have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Kerr County summer camp.

The plaintiffs say Camp Mystic "put profit over safety" by leaving cabins in flood-prone areas. #txlege pic.twitter.com/gDOcKkskRu

— Hannah Norton (@hannahdnorton) November 10, 2025

The families allege that the camp ignored National Weather Service alerts and staff concern about rising water, left children in flood vulnerable cabins instead ordering an immediate evacuation.

The lawsuits accuse brand Camp Mystic and its owners with gross negligence as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress. They also contend that days after the disaster, camp administrators gave families false assurances by saying the children were simply “unaccounted for” hours after floodwaters had receded.

More details related to the negligence of Camp Mystic as families are seeking more than $1 million in damages

According to the lawsuit, from 2:20 to 3:50 a.m. local time, water penetrated several cabins. Some were eventually removed, but others, including Nut Hut, Chatter Box, Wiggle Inn, Twins and Bubble Inn, remained. Thirteen campers and two counselors at Bubble Inn, as well as 11 girls in Twins Cabin, tragically drowned as they were told to stay inside.

The children could have been evacuated to higher ground within a minute and without harm, the families maintain, but they were prohibited from doing so by the camp due to their flawed emergency policy.

Compounding their outrage, families were furious at Camp Mystic for saying it would make plans to reopen the camp next summer while the body of one camper, Cile Steward, had still not been found.

💔 It’s been more than three months now 💔

Camp Mystic camper, 8-year-old Cile Steward, is still unaccounted for after those devastating floods swept through the Texas hill country on July 4th. pic.twitter.com/TqLt9rueqG

— 👑💥 Serenity 💥👑 (@polishprincessh) October 11, 2025

The attorney, R. Paul Yetter, who represents multiple families suing the camp, said that it was a matter of holding the facility responsible for favoring profit over safety. The families are suing for more than $1 million in damages to cover wrongful death and emotional distress.

"These young girls died because a for-profit camp put profit over safety... The camp chose to house young girls in cabins sitting in flood-prone areas, despite the risk, to avoid the cost of relocating the cabins," the lawsuit read.

Founded in 1926, Camp Mystic is a Texas institution. But this tragedy, one of the state’s deadliest flood-related incidents ever, has prompted serious questions about its safety practices and preparedness.