A judge halted construction at Camp Mystic’s Guadalupe campus after a flood killed 27, but wouldn’t block the camp from re-opening the Cypress Lake campus.
TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — A judge has ordered Camp Mystic to stop construction and changes at one of its campus following a hearing tied to one of several lawsuits filed after last summer’s catastrophic flooding that killed 27 campers and counselors. But the judge won’t stop the camp from re-opening a different campus.
The ruling came down Wednesday afternoon, just hours after a hearing in Kerr County.
The lawsuit was filed in February by the family of Cile Steward, one of the victims killed during the July 4 flooding. The Steward family asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order to halt construction at Camp Mystic and prevent the camp from reopening while their lawsuit moves forward.
The judge granted the request in part.
Under the order, Camp Mystic must stop construction and any changes to its Guadalupe campus. This is the area where the worst of the flooding occurred and where lives were lost. That campus will remain closed indefinitely.
However, the judge did not block the camp from reopening its Cypress Lake campus this summer.
KHOU 11 Legal Analyst Carmen Roe said before the ruling that the case could influence how similar lawsuits against the camp proceed.
“We know that these camps have been combed over by law enforcement, by experts, by lawyers for months,” Roe said previously. “I think the court is clearly acting diligently to deal with this case and maybe help others understand how it will be handled going forward in other cases.”
The Steward family’s lawsuit is one of at least five currently moving through the legal system against Camp Mystic.
Last week, the lieutenant governor also asked the state not to renew the camp’s license until a legislative investigation is completed.
In a prior statement, Camp Mystic attorney Mikal Watts said the camp empathizes with the families who lost loved ones in what he described as a “horrific and unprecedented flood.”
Watts has argued the sudden surge of floodwaters far exceeded any previous flooding in the area and was unexpected and unforeseeable. He also stated there were no adequate early-warning flood systems in place at the time.
The camp has disputed allegations outlined in court filings and previously said it planned to respond formally in court. It also expressed pride in its legacy and said it intended to implement new safety procedures and technologies.
It is unclear how long the court order regarding the Guadalupe campus will remain in effect as the lawsuit continues.
KHOU 11 will update this developing story as more information becomes available.
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