While the world held its collective breath last month as search teams desperately looked for a missing submersible carrying five Titanic tourists, news reports began circulating of a former OceanGate director of marine operations who was allegedly fired for raising safety concerns years earlier regarding that same vessel. Sadly, the rescue mission soon turned into a recovery mission.
The details of this tragedy and discussions about how it could have been avoided will likely continue for many years to come, particularly amid allegations that the company ignored serious safety concerns.
In June 2018, OceanGate filed a lawsuit in the state of Washington alleging various claims against the former OceanGate employee and his wife. The complaint alleged the defendants shared highly confidential information concerning the company’s development of the Titan submersible with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and others.
The complaint stated that the director’s employment was terminated after he rejected OceanGate’s assertions that the Titan was safe and stated he wouldn’t authorize any manned tests of the submersible without a scan of the hull to detect potential flaws. OceanGate accused the director of breach of contract, fraud, unjust enrichment, conversion, and misappropriation of trade secrets.
The director and his wife responded to the complaint in August 2018 and raised counterclaims against OceanGate for wrongful...
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