Camp Mystic Lawsuit: Lack of Written Evacuation Plan May Violate State Law

A state district judge in Austin has ordered Camp Mystic and its operators not to alter, repair, or demolish cabins where 27 people died in a July 4, 2025, flash flood, citing concerns that evidence related to a potential violation of state evacuation plan requirements may be destroyed.

The ruling by Judge Maya Guerra Gamble came after three days of emotional testimony in a lawsuit filed by parents of nine children and counselors who died in the disaster. The judge determined that the plaintiffs had demonstrated a probable right to the relief sought in their legal action against Camp Mystic and members of the Eastland family, who have operated the Hill Country camp for three generations.

The judge also indicated that officials from the Texas Department of State Health Services may have violated state administrative code by failing to ensure Camp Mystic maintained a written evacuation plan, as required by law for youth camps in Texas. The lawsuit alleges that the camp was licensed despite lacking such a plan, and that its emergency policy instructed campers not to evacuate during flooding, which delayed efforts to move girls to safety until it was too late.

Families of the victims are seeking general and compensatory damages, as well as other equitable relief, in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. They accuse six DSHS officials of deliberately failing to follow state law and depriving the victims of their constitutional rights to life and bodily integrity.

The temporary injunction prohibits any changes to the cabins where the fatalities occurred, preserving the site as potential evidence in the ongoing litigation. The camp, located on the south fork of the Guadalupe River 18 miles southwest of Kerrville, has been operated by the Eastland family for generations.