The family of Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a renowned French explorer who perished last year during an expedition to the Titanic, has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against OceanGate, the operator of the submersible. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Washington state, accuses the company of gross negligence and seeks at least $50 million in damages.

A wrongful death suit is a legal action brought by the survivors or representatives of a deceased person against individuals or entities whose negligent or intentional actions are alleged to have caused the person's death. This type of lawsuit seeks to provide compensation for the survivors' loss, including lost wages, companionship, and funeral expenses.

In the case against OceanGate, the family of Paul-Henri Nargeolet is pursuing a wrongful death suit alleging that the company's negligence led to the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible, resulting in his death and the deaths of the other crew members. By filing this lawsuit, the family seeks to hold OceanGate accountable for their alleged failure to ensure the safety and integrity of the submersible and to obtain financial compensation for the immense loss and suffering caused by this tragedy.

Paul-Henri Nargeolet was one of five people who died when the Titan submersible imploded. The complaint alleges that OceanGate’s “persistent carelessness, recklessness, and negligence” directly led to the tragic event. OceanGate, which has since ceased operations, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The U.S. Coast Guard determined that the Titan likely suffered a catastrophic implosion while en route to the Titanic wreckage. The vessel lost contact shortly after beginning its dive, prompting a frantic search. The Wall Street Journal reported that a top-secret military acoustic detection system detected sounds believed to be the Titan’s implosion soon after the submersible disappeared.

The lawsuit claims that the crew, including Nargeolet, experienced “terror and mental anguish” before the implosion. “Common sense dictates that the crew were well aware they were going to die, before dying,” the suit stated.

However, a senior Coast Guard officer involved in the federal investigation found no evidence that the crew was aware of the impending disaster. “The communication between the Titan and the mother ship before the submersible vanished shows the crew did not know what was about to happen. All else was made up,” he said.

The complaint also highlighted that the Titan was controlled by a video game controller requiring Bluetooth connectivity. Rush allegedly ignored multiple safety warnings, including firing OceanGate’s head of marine operations after he raised concerns about the Titan’s design. Another deep-sea explorer reportedly told Rush that it was a matter of when, not if, the Titan would suffer a catastrophic disaster.

OceanGate, founded by Stockton Rush in 2009, conducted its first mission to the Titanic in 2021. Rush, who also died in the implosion, is accused in the lawsuit of cutting corners in the construction of the Titan. The suit alleges that Rush chose carbon fiber which can degrade over time under pressure, over titanium, a material commonly used in deep-sea submersibles.