The mother of one of two Florida teenagers who vanished during a fishing trip in 2015 is suing the other boy's family, alleging they allowed the boys to go out on the ocean alone in an improperly equipped boat. Pamela Cohen filed the lawsuit on Friday against the family of Austin Stephanos, who was 14 when he and Perry Cohen disappeared off the coast of Palm Beach County in July 2015.
The lawsuit targets Austin's mother Carly Black, his father William Blu Stephanos and his grandfather Richard Black Jr., claiming they should have prevented the boys from taking the Stephanos' 19-foot boat onto the ocean with a storm approaching. The boys were never found after a massive search, and their bodies have not been recovered.
The lawsuit was made possible after US District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas lifted an injunction on July 13, allowing Pamela and Philip Cohen to sue Carly Black in state court. The families had been in federal court over a maritime law that limits damages to the value of the boat, which is worth $500. Suing in state court avoids that restriction.
Attorney Guy Rubin said in a statement that the lawsuit is about 'truth, accountability and justice' and that any proceeds will be donated to charity. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement found that Carly Black had an 'egregious lapse of judgment' and may have violated child abuse and neglect laws by allowing the boys to take a 'minimally equipped' boat without basic communications equipment, but the state declined to file charges.
The boys set out from Jupiter Inlet at around 11am on July 24, 2015, and were caught in a storm. Their boat was found months later in the Bahamas by a Norwegian cargo ship.
