Couple drop lawsuit against OceanGate’s Stockton Rush ‘out of respect’ (Picture: AP/Blue Origin)
A Florida couple who sued OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush for fraud have dropped their lawsuit against him out of respect for the victims of the Titan submersible, which imploded during a failed voyage to the Titanic.
Marc and Sharon Hagle filed a lawsuit against Rush in February after they paid $210,000 for a trip aboard the doomed submersible in 2018 which was never refunded after repeated cancellations.
But following the death of Rush and four other passengers onboard the submersible last week, the couple have decided to drop the case.
‘Like most around the world, we have watched the coverage of the OceanGate Titan capsule with great concern and enormous amount of sadness and compassion for the families of those who lost their lives,’ the couple announced in a joint statement.
Thrillseeking couple Marc and Sharon Hagle paid $210,000 for a journey aboard the Titan sub in 2018 but were never refunded after the trip was cancelled (Picture: Blue Origin)
‘As has been reported, we have been involved in a legal dispute with Stockton Rush, CEO/Founder of OceanGate. In light of these tragic events, we have informed our attorneys to withdraw all legal actions against Stockton.
‘We honour their zest for life, as well as their commitment to the exploration of our oceans. Money is a driving force in our economy, but honour, respect and dignity are more important to the human soul.
‘We wish the entire OceanGate family and the families of those aboard the Titan the very best as they grieve the loss of their loved ones.’
The Hagles are Florida-based real estate moguls with a penchant for thrill-seeking.
Last year they fulfilled a ‘lifelong dream’ of going to space when they blasted off aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin spacecraft.
They had planned a deep sea tour with OceanGate as early as 2016, when they paid an initial $20,000 deposit for a dive expedition.
Then in 2018, the pair received contracts instructing them to pay the full cost of the expedition, close to $200,000.
The couple dropped their lawsuit against Stockton Rush following his death onboard the Titan sub (Picture: AP)
But the couple said a series of planned dives were cancelled by Rush, whose company allegedly refused to refund their money when requested to do so.
After a week-long search, the five members aboard the Titan submersible were confirmed dead last week.
British billionaire Hamish Harding, French navy veteran Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman were onboard the submersible when it suffered a catastrophic implosion, alongside Rush himself.
The tourists would have died instantaneously amid the catastrophic implosion of the vessel and the US Coast Guard is not hopeful of recovering their bodies, describing the area as ‘a very unforgiving environment.’
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Marc and Sharon Hagle paid $210,000 for a cancelled journey aboard the Titan sub in 2018 which was never refunded.