AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Should the five wrongful death cases filed against Camp Mystic be settled in public by a jury, or in private by a negotiator? This was the question of the day during a Wednesday morning hearing at the Travis County District Courthouse.
Camp Mystic believes they’re entitled to arbitration based on a participation agreement signed by the parents on behalf of their minor children. The families of the 25 deceased campers and two deceased counselors — known as the ‘Heaven’s 27 families’ — say Camp Mystic has missed their opportunity to invoke that right.
Federal or state law?
As Camp Mystic fights to settle disputes out of the public eye, CiCi and Will Steward are among the many parents present to fight for a public trial by jury in their daughters’ deaths. The Steward’s eight-year old daughter Cile is the last deceased camper who’s body has yet to be recovered.
A major area of focus is whether or not these cases are called under the purview of federal or state law. Camp Mystic’s attorneys argued that under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), the camp’s arbitration clause — signed by parents before sending their children to the summer camp — means the legal disputes should be settled privately…