Camp Mystic Files for Bankruptcy as Flood Lawsuits Mount Nearly a Year After 28 Deaths

A century-old camp, a catastrophic flood, and a bankruptcy filing

Camp Mystic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, nearly a year after catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River killed 25 campers, two teenage counselors, and the camp's longtime owner and executive director on the morning of July 4, 2025apnews. The filing, made in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas in Houston, lists total debts between $10 million and $50 million against assets estimated at $1 million to $10 millionnbcnews +1.

Lawsuits paused, but accountability pledged

The bankruptcy petition was signed by four members of the Eastland family, which has owned the Christian retreat for girls in the Texas Hill Country for nearly 100 yearsnbcnews. The Chapter 11 filing automatically halts pending wrongful-death and negligence lawsuits filed by victims' families in November, placing claimants in the position of creditors seeking compensation from a limited pool of assets rather than through individual jury verdictsnbcnews. "Bankruptcy will not stop all responsible parties from being held accountable," said Paul Yetter, an attorney representing multiple families. "These innocent girls deserve justice."apnews

Camp Mystic had planned to reopen this summer for its 100th anniversary but reversed course in April following outrage from families and state lawmakersapnews. State regulators found nearly two dozen deficiencies in its emergency operations plan, including gaps in flood-warning evacuations and safety trainingapnews.

A damning legislative investigation

A 115-page state investigative report released this month found that the camp's response was deeply flawed — and that the tragedy was avoidablenbcnews. At least 39 adults were present on Camp Mystic's grounds the night of the disaster, yet none were called to assist with evacuationexpressnews. The camp had no written flood-evacuation plan, never briefed staff on emergency procedures, and did not use its working public address system to issue warningsexpressnews.

Owner Richard "Dick" Eastland, who also died in the flood, apparently loaded all 15 occupants of the Bubble Inn cabin — 13 children and two counselors — into his Chevrolet Tahoe in a last-ditch evacuation attempt. His vehicle was swept away by more than 20 feet of waterexpressnews. "Dick's decision to load campers into his vehicle is a mystery," the report stated. "The only apparent explanation is that he must have believed it to be his last option."expressnews

A community still grieving, one year on

The July 4 flood ultimately killed at least 136 people along a stretch of the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, with one child — eight-year-old Cecilia "Cile" Steward of Austin — still missingnbcnews. A Texas Tribune report published this week describes signs of both healing and deep trauma across the region as the one-year anniversary approachestexastribune. For families of victims, the bankruptcy filing carries its own sting: lawyers have called it a "despicable gut punch" that prioritizes legal maneuvering over accountability on the eve of that anniversary.