‘We honor their zest for life’: Florida couple drops lawsuit against late Stockton Rush as ‘respect’ is more important

Marc and Sharon Hagle filed the lawsuit in February after Stockton Rush reportedly refused to refund them over $210,000

A Florida couple who sued OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush has announced that they are dropping the lawsuit after the Titan tragedy. A catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible resulted in the deaths of five passengers. Stockton was killed in the along with British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diver Paul Henry Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman.

OceanGate CEO and co-founder Stockton Rush speaks in front of a projected image of the wreckage of the ocean liner SS Andrea Doria during a presentation on their findings after an undersea exploration, on June 13, 2016, in Boston (AP Photo/Bill Sikes, File)(AP)

Marc and Sharon Hagle filed the lawsuit in February after Stockton reportedly refused to refund them over $210,000. The couple said they spent the amount on an expedition that was set to take place in 2018, according to court records.

The Winter Park couple released a statement soon after the Titan tragedy, saying, “Like most around the world, we have watched the coverage of the OceanGate Titan capsule with great concern and enormous amount of sadness and compassion for the families of those who lost their lives. We honor their zest for life, as well as their commitment to the exploration of our oceans.”

"As has been reported, we have been involved in a legal dispute with Stockton Rush, CEO/Founder of OceanGate. In light of these tragic events, we have informed our attorneys to withdraw all legal actions against Stockton,” the couple said, adding that "honor, respect and dignity" are more important than money. They offered their well wishes to the families of the victims, according to Fox 29.

The Hagles paid a $20,000 deposit to participate on a submersible dive expedition on the ‘Cyclops 2’ vessel, and were supposed to make two more payments. However, they suspected in September 2016 that the dive would not happen immediately and will likely be postponed. They subsequently requested a refund. 

OceanGate is said to have assured them that they would return the amount if the dive was delayed. The Hagles said they were sent new contracts in January 2018 that required them to pay the full amount for the expedition – which by then changed its name to ‘Titan’. 

They asked for a refund when the subsequent expeditions were cancelled repeatedly, but OceanGate allegedly told them they would refund the amount only if the Hagles participated in a July 2021 expedition. The company also told the couple they would hold their money in a separate escrow account, but allegedly failed to keep the promise.