Judge sides with Texas flood victim's family, orders Camp Mystic to preserve evidence

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Cile Steward and Camp Mystic

KERRVILLE, Texas - Editor's note: A previous version of this article mistakenly said the family's request to prevent Camp Mystic from reopening was denied. The order, now attached below, does not close the camp, but also includes no denials of requests. 

The family of one of the 27 campers and staffers killed in last summer's deadly Hill Country flooding have been granted an injunction against Camp Mystic, though the camp will resume operations this summer. 

The judge ordered that the camp has to preserve evidence from the floods pending an ongoing investigation, but the camp where the 8-year-old daughter of the plaintiffs died is still allowed to operate this summer. 

Judge grants injunction against Camp Mystic

The latest:

District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble on Wednesday ordered that Camp Mystic not alter or demolish the cabins where campers were housed during the floods, nor can they use the part of the camp closest to the Guadalupe River where those cabins were located. 

The injunction is to remain in place until final judgment is made in the case against the camp. The Texas Ranger in charge filed an affidavit saying that there is an ongoing criminal investigation on the site where evidence is to be preserved. Following that investigation, a trial is set to begin in April 2028, according to Gamble's order.

The injunction does not prevent Camp Mystic from operating as a whole. Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, a separate site from the flooding deaths, will remain open. 

Camp Mystic announced their plans to reopen in September 2025, less than three months after dozens of people died in the disaster. The Stewards' original petition claimed that the camp had prioritized reopening over taking responsibility for ignoring "a century of warnings" about a catastrophic flood and regulations.

Family sues to close Camp Mystic

The backstory:

The 108-page lawsuit, filed by 8-year-old Cecilia "Cile" Steward's family in Travis County, alleged that the camp never did anything to improve its flood vulnerability despite the money it made. The suit also claimed that the camp is prioritizing reopening over children's safety.

The lawsuit named many co-defendants, including Camp Mystic LLC and members of the Eastland family which owns and runs the camp.

Related

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Texas flooding: State officials face lawsuit from families over Camp Mystic licensing

A new lawsuit has been filed in connection with the deaths at Camp Mystic during the devastating flooding that hit Central Texas last July.

The suit says that despite "a century of warnings" about a catastrophic flood and regulations, standards and guidelines by numerous groups and authorities, the Eastlands built cabins directly in the flood path, ignored warnings, and "chose complacency over prevention."

In addition to requesting an injunction to keep Camp Mystic from reopening in the same capacity as before the floods, the Stewards sought more than $1 million in damages. 

Deadly Texas Hill Country flooding

Dig deeper:

In the early hours of July 4, heavy rainfall in Central Texas caused the Guadalupe River to rise far past its banks in an area known colloquially as "Flash Flood Alley," particularly in the area of Kerr County, where Camp Mystic and other children's camps are located. 

The floodwaters rose rapidly, washing out cabins, homes and other structures built near the river on or close to known flood plains. At least 135 people died in the disaster, 117 of which were in Kerr County. The search and rescue operations lasted for weeks afterward. 

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FEMA removed parts of Camp Mystic from 100-year flood map after camp appeals, AP report

FEMA removed dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from its 100-year floodplain map for Kerr County, the AP reports.

In the aftermath, Texas residents began to question the safety of summer camps near the flood-prone sections of the Guadalupe. Many claims claim to light of camps being ill prepared for severe weather situations, as well as local and state emergency officials and warning systems being unfit for a catastrophe on that scale.

Several lawsuits have been filed against Camp Mystic, and new legislation was brought forth in special sessions of the state legislature to ensure better protections for campers in the event of natural disasters or other evacuation scenarios.