Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ordered that Camp Mystic’s flood-damaged cabins and surrounding land be preserved while the wrongful-death lawsuit by the family of missing 8-year-old Cile Steward proceeds. The renewed injunction follows emotional testimony from Eastland family members who acknowledged failing to warn campers before the July 4 flood that killed 27 people. State investigations, including probes by the Texas Rangers and DSHS, are ongoing and regulators have been urged to withhold or deny the camp’s license. Discovery and a mid-May status conference are scheduled, and the Steward trial will be moved up from its original April 2028 date.
Judge Orders Camp Mystic’s Flood-Ravaged Cabins Preserved as Wrongful-Death Case Advances
Debris is piled up at Camp Mystic on July 7, 2025, after 27 campers and counselors died in the torrential flooding. - Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble on Wednesday ordered that many cabins and other flood-damaged areas of Camp Mystic remain preserved while a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of 8-year-old Cile Steward proceeds. The renewed injunction follows three days of emotional testimony and largely mirrors a temporary order issued in March, with only minor changes.
Court Ruling and Preserving Evidence
Judge Gamble said she will issue a formal injunction requiring camp leaders to leave cabins, terrain and related physical evidence intact as discovery continues. A status conference and discovery are scheduled for mid-May. The Steward family argues the condition of sleeping cabins and other on-site evidence will be critical to proving negligence; the Eastland family appealed the original injunction in March.
Testimony and Allegations
Over three days in court, members of the Eastland family — who have owned and operated Camp Mystic for decades — acknowledged they did not warn campers and counselors about rising floodwaters or urgent weather warnings before cabins were overtaken on July 4. The torrent at the camp’s Guadalupe River campus in the Texas Hill Country swept away or trapped dozens of people and resulted in the deaths of 27 campers and counselors.
“Whether it is hubris, greed, grief, or just an overwhelming combination of all of those, they have this unmitigated desire to reopen this camp in a few weeks...” — Brad Beckworth, attorney for the Steward family
Night watchman Glen Juenke testified he believed staff did everything possible with the time available but admitted he did not order campers to move to higher ground as waters rose. Mary Liz Eastland, who led nursing efforts and had spent more than 30 years at the camp, acknowledged under questioning that she did not take actions that could have protected first-year camper Cile Steward.
Investigations and Licensing Questions
State authorities, including the Texas Rangers and the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), are investigating the deaths; no criminal charges have been filed. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has urged regulators to deny Camp Mystic’s license while investigations continue. Officials say DSHS has received more than 600 complaints and requests related to the camp’s license.
Litigation Timeline and Protections for Witnesses
Multiple civil suits alleging gross negligence have been filed since the July 4 disaster. Judge Gamble said she plans to prioritize the Steward wrongful-death case, moving its trial earlier than its originally scheduled April 2028 date, and will schedule other cases to follow. She instructed attorneys to coordinate depositions so counselors, campers and staff — particularly children and teenagers — are deposed only once to reduce further trauma.
The injunction will bar the Eastland family from cleaning up or reusing the damaged cabins while investigations and litigation continue. The family says it will not house children in the ruined structures and plans to operate the camp at a different, higher location this summer.
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