'There is no timeline for grief": Baker family sues Camp Mystic following deadly flooding

'There is no timeline for grief": Baker family sues Camp Mystic following deadly flooding by Scott Lawrence Mon, November 9, 2026 at 10:19 AM Updated Mon, November 9, 2026 at 7:14 PM 7 VIEW ALL PHOTOS 'There is no timeline for grief": Baker family sues Camp Mystic following deadly flooding Comment on this story 0 Comment Share story Share topics: Camp Mystic Wrongful death Flash flooding Lawsuit Negligence Gross negligence Chapter 11 Travis County BEAUMONT — KFDM News has learned that today, the family of Mary Grace Baker, one of the 25 campers and two counselors (“Heaven’s 27”) who died while in the care of Camp Mystic during the flash floods on July 4, 2025, has filed a lawsuit against Camp Mystic, LLC, its owners, and affiliated entities and persons, alleging wrongful death, negligence and gross negligence, and other related claims. She was one of six deaths in her cabin (“Twins I”), which housed the youngest campers. The filing comes as the automatic stay on wrongful death lawsuits against Camp Mystic lifts today, clearing the way for civil cases to proceed despite Camp Mystic’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings. “There is no timeline for grief, and we needed this first year simply to survive it,” said Clarke Baker, Mary Grace’s father. “We are not filing today out of anger. We are filing out of love — for our daughter, and for every child who deserves to come home from summer camp alive and unharmed. Now that we have found the strength, we owe it to Mary Grace’s memory to understand the truth and to seek accountability.” The petition, filed in the District Court of Travis County, asserts that Camp Mystic knowingly operated in a high-risk flood zone and failed to take even the most basic safety precautions to protect the children in its care. The Baker family is represented by Tim Ferguson of The Ferguson Law Firm in Beaumont. “This was not an unforeseeable act of nature. What happened at Camp Mystic was preventable, and no family should have to bury their daughter, because a family-owned camp put other priorities ahead of children’s safety,” said Ferguson. “This lawsuit is about transparency, responsibility, and ensuring that no other family endures what the Bakers have suffered.” According to the lawsuit, Camp Mystic had documented, decades-long knowledge of flooding on its own property, including prior flood events, FEMA flood-hazard designations, and annual floodplain permits. Despite these facts, operators failed to implement proper safety, training, and evacuation protocols in an area of the state known as “Flash Flood Alley.” The lawsuit claims that as floodwaters rose rapidly on July 4, 2025, camp leaders failed to order evacuation, leaving campers in cabins located in the floodway, as inexperienced first-year counselors faced impossible decisions with water sweeping through their cabins on the Guadalupe River. The Baker family’s petition accuses Camp Mystic and its affiliates of: -Ignoring repeated flood warnings and historical data; -Failing to build cabins and facilities in safe locations; -Lacking an effective emergency or evacuation plan; -Demonstrating gross negligence and “conscious indifference” to camper safety; and -Prioritizing operational convenience and profits over children’s lives. The family’s attorney argues that this was not an “act of God,” but rather a foreseeable and preventable tragedy caused by reckless inaction. Plaintiffs are seeking damages under Texas law for wrongful death, survival claims, and exemplary damages intended to hold Camp Mystic accountable, and the lawsuit demands a jury trial. The Baker family placed Camp Mystic on notice of its duty to preserve all evidence related to the flood — including surveillance footage, staff communications, and camp records — by a preservation letter sent July 11, 2025, just one week after Mary Grace’s death. PLAINTIFFS’ CLARKE BAKER AND KATHERINE BAKER ORIGINAL PETITION PDF preview Preview PDF View PDF Ferguson says the Bakers’ petition comes at a moment of mounting scrutiny for the camp. Camp Mystic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June. Ferguson says last week, after a federal bankruptcy judge found material conflicts of interest between the Eastland family and the camp’s bankruptcy estates — and warned that a chapter 11 trustee would otherwise be appointed — the Eastland family gave up control, ceding authority over all flood-related litigation to two court-approved independent fiduciaries. He says the Baker family remains committed to pursuing accountability through these proceedings. “Waiting this year did not make the loss any smaller, but it gave us the footing to fight,” said Baker. “We are asking for accountability, transparency, and meaningful change so that no other parents ever have to live through this.” About The Ferguson Law Firm: The Ferguson Law Firm, LLP is a Beaumont, Texas trial firm representing individuals and families in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases across Texas. Timothy M. Ferguson is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. For more information, visit The Ferguson Law Firm Trending Family of five killed after SUV leaves wet IH-10 overpass in Seguin, parents identified Rain-slicked IH-10 in Seguin turned deadly when a Chevrolet Tahoe left an overpass near FM 725, killing a Porter family of five, including three children. FM 725 was shut for hours as police investigate. 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