The Eastland family, owner of Camp Mystic, lost control of key decisions in the camp’s bankruptcy case after a federal judge on Nov. 2 appointed two independent fiduciaries, according to court records. The appointment, which the family voluntarily agreed to, came after the judge found potential conflicts of interest because family members are defendants in lawsuits filed by families of girls who died in a flood.
The two appointees are Mark Andrews, who will serve as independent manager of Camp Mystic, LLC, and retired Judge Craig A. Gargotta, who will act as independent director of Natural Fountains Properties, Inc., the entity that owns the camp’s real estate, according to court records. The order, signed by a federal bankruptcy judge, grants the fiduciaries exclusive authority over how the camp handles the wrongful-death lawsuits, whether to sell camp assets, and how the organization responds to a pending Texas Rangers investigation, records show.
Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp in Kerr County, Texas, filed for bankruptcy after 28 people died there during a flood in July 2025.
The Eastland family voluntarily agreed to the arrangement, according to court filings. The judge’s order came after a hearing in which the court determined that potential conflicts of interest existed because family members are named as defendants in lawsuits filed by the families of girls who died in the flood. The judge made no finding that any family member engaged in wrongdoing, according to KSAT.
Attorneys for the victims’ families had petitioned the court to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee to take over the bankruptcy entirely. The judge declined that request, ruling that the appointment of the two independent fiduciaries achieves the same objective by removing the Eastlands from decision-making authority, according to CBS News.
The fiduciaries cannot be removed by the Eastland family. Only the court may remove them, and only for serious misconduct such as fraud or gross negligence, court records state. The flood lawsuits, any potential sale of the camp’s property, and the final bankruptcy plan all remain subject to court approval, according to the order.
The Eastland family retains ownership of the camp, but business and legal decisions will now be made by the two appointed fiduciaries, according to CBS News.
The appointment of Andrews and Gargotta was finalized Nov. 2. Andrews’s role as independent manager places him in control of the camp’s day-to-day business operations and its legal strategy, while Gargotta’s position as independent director of Natural Fountains Properties gives him oversight of the real estate holdings, according to the court order.
The bankruptcy case is being handled in federal court, where the judge will continue to oversee the proceedings. The independent fiduciaries are required to report to the court on their decisions, and any major actions, including settlements in the wrongful-death lawsuits or the sale of camp property, must receive judicial approval before they are finalized, records show.
The Texas Rangers investigation into the flood remains ongoing, according to officials. The fiduciaries will determine how Camp Mystic cooperates with that inquiry, court records state.
The flood that killed 28 people at the camp occurred during a sudden surge of water that swept through the property. The lawsuits filed by the victims’ families allege negligence on the part of the camp and its owners. The Eastland family has denied wrongdoing in court filings.
The camp’s bankruptcy filing listed assets and liabilities related to the property and the pending litigation. The case continues under the supervision of the bankruptcy court, with the next hearings expected to address the ongoing lawsuits and the future of the camp’s property.
