Camp Mystic files for Chapter 11 after 2025 Texas camp disaster

Camp Mystic has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection nearly one year after catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River claimed 28 lives, a legal move that immediately pauses civil lawsuits filed by families seeking accountability for the July 4, 2025, tragedy. 

The all-girls Christian summer camp filed for bankruptcy reorganization on Wednesday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Court documents show the camp reported more than $10 million in debt as it faces numerous lawsuits alleging camp leaders failed to adequately prepare for flooding or evacuate campers before rising waters overwhelmed the property.

The flood killed 25 campers, two teenage counselors, and camp owner and executive director Richard "Dick" Eastland.

The bankruptcy filing comes weeks after a state investigation concluded Camp Mystic lacked a written emergency plan, failed to properly train staff, and did not move campers to higher ground despite having sufficient time before floodwaters surged through the camp.

Houston attorney Sam Taylor, who represents several victims' families, said the filing delays efforts to determine exactly what happened.

"Our clients have been through agony," Taylor said. "Delay after delay" has made the search for answers even more difficult, he said.

Taylor explained that the Chapter 11 filing immediately pauses civil litigation against the camp, preventing attorneys from continuing discovery while the bankruptcy case proceeds.

Bankruptcy law experts say the automatic stay is a standard part of Chapter 11 proceedings.

Professor Edward Janger of Brooklyn Law School, who is not involved in the case, said bankruptcy allows claims to be consolidated while the court determines how available assets should be distributed.

"In its best light," Janger said, bankruptcy can ensure that those seeking compensation share limited financial resources fairly.

However, he acknowledged that bankruptcy filings in high-profile cases often draw criticism from victims who fear they could delay or complicate accountability.

Janger also noted that the automatic stay generally applies only to claims against the camp as a legal entity and does not necessarily prevent lawsuits against other individuals or parties who may bear responsibility.

Families affected by the disaster have spent the past year urging Texas lawmakers to strengthen emergency preparedness requirements at youth camps. The findings of the state's investigation intensified scrutiny of Camp Mystic and contributed to the camp's earlier decision not to reopen for what would have been its 100th summer.

For many families, the legal process remains about more than financial compensation.

"They can't achieve the discovery and accountability that they want," Taylor said, adding that the delay prolongs the grief of parents still seeking answers about the deaths of their daughters.