Family of French explorer who died in OceanGate's Titan submarine disaster sues for $50 million

The family of French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet on Tuesday filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against OceanGate, the operator of a tourist submersible that catastrophically failed during an attempt to visit the wreckage of the Titanic. 

Nargeolet was one of the Titan sub's five passengers on June 18, 2023 when it suffered a catastrophic pressure loss and imploded, causing the deaths of all on board. OceanGate had sold seats on the vessel for $250,000 each, billing the trip as a chance to "become one of the few to see the Titanic with your own eyes." 

But in the wake of the incident, it arose that industry experts had raised serious safety concerns about the project years earlier. For instance, one professional trade group warned in 2018 that OceanGate's experimental approach to the design of the Titan could lead to potentially "catastrophic" outcomes.