Camp Mystic flood lawsuits: Attorney says timing was not strategic

Jennie Getten wears a necklace honoring her daughter, Ellen Getten, 9, who died in the July 4th flooding while she was a camper at Camp Mystic, during an interview in Austin, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025.

Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman

The families of girls killed in the deadly Camp Mystic flood filed their lawsuits on the same day, after months of bonding over their shared grief and coordinating about legal strategy, according to one of the attorneys involved in the case.

Randy Howry, a partner at Howry, Breen & Herman in Austin, represents the family of Eloise “Lulu” Peck. The nine-year-old from Dallas was swept away during the July 4 flash flood on the Guadalupe River, along with 26 other young campers and counselors at Camp Mystic. Howry said nearly every affected family has now retained counsel, and most had already formed close-knit bonds in the months after the disaster.

“This group rallied together emotionally after the flood, then they rallied together when it came time to deal with the legislative process and passing some camp reforms,” Howry said, referencing a group of affected parents who championed reforms at the Texas state capitol. “Many of them knew each other even before this incident, because they live in the same towns, which may also have to do with how they chose their lawyers.”

Howry said the decision to file the lawsuits simultaneously was not part of some secretive strategy, but rather a decision of convenience. Once lawyers representing different families realized which other firms were involved, he said, they began organizing a unified approach.

“If you read these four different petitions that have thus far been filed, there are usually a little different formats, but they basically take the same positions and just say it in a different way,” Howry said. “There was organization and communication about it, and there was a day designated when we decided to file our lawsuits.”

Some firms represent multiple families from the same city, while others, like the Peck family, sought their own counsel. Howry said there was “no rhyme or reason” to it.

Ultimately, he said, the families want two things out of the lawsuit: Consequences for Camp Mystic's leaders, and answers to their questions about why their little girls didn’t come home. For most of the families, it isn't about the money.

“They’re still dealing with grief, so there’s still that prevailing emotion,” Howry said. “No amount of money will bring their daughters back.”