Fraud Lawsuit Dropped Against OceanGate CEO After Sinking
According to reports and court records, a fraud lawsuit filed against the CEO of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, has been dropped.
The couple had filed a fraud suit in February of this year
Marc and Sharon Hagle, who are from Florida, said in the suit they had paid Rush and OceanGate nearly $500,000 for a 2016 descent to see the Titanic, but it was eventually called off due to what KIRO-TV in Seattle called "safety concerns and equipment failure."
In late November 2016, the couple paid OceanGate a total of $20,000 in two deposits for what was supposed to be a June 2018 trip to the Titanic wreck site aboard the OceanGate sub named Cyclops. Throughout 2017, they did not hear updates from Rush, and presumed the sub would not be ready for the dive. Their contract reportedly included other payments totaling $55,000.
The couple ended up signing new contracts with Rush in February of 2018 and wired over $190.000 to the company. After another series of delays and cancelations, the couple received word that they would 'have' to go on a Titan sub excursion in July of 2021 but they refused. At that point, the company said they were not getting a refund.
The lawsuit had sought to recoup just over $210,000 they had given OceanGate.
However, after the news broke that Rush and four others had died aboard the Titan during its recent implosion, the couple dropped the suit and issued a statement containing condolences to all involved.
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