The Italian Sea Group (TISG), builder of the Bayesian yacht, is reported to be sueing the widow of technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch for damages following the sinking of the superyacht off the coast of Sicily in August 2024.
The boatbuilder has initiated a legal claim worth €456 million (almost £400 million) in a Sicilian court arguing that its business has subsequently been severly damaged.
Angela Bacares Lynch, Lynch’s widow and survivor of the tragedy, is the registered owner of Revtom, the Isle of Man-based company that owned the £30 million yacht.
Court papers filed by the boatbuilder name Bacares Lynch, along with the yacht’s captain and two crew members, as defendants in the case.
Mistakes and mishandling caused the yacht to capsize
According to the documents, TISG claims that being blamed for the incident has led to hundreds of millions of euros in lost sales.
The Bayesian, built by TISG’s Perini Navi brand, sank after being caught in a sudden storm, with Mike Lynch, his teenage daughter Hannah, and five others drowning in the incident.
TISG alleges that the crew and the holding company behind the superyacht were at fault for the vessel’s loss, arguing that mistakes and mishandling by the crew caused the yacht to capsize.
The lawsuit alleges that the captain and crew made a series of grave mistakes such as failing to secure hatches, ignoring weather alerts, and not lowering the keel, that prevented the yacht from righting itself in the strong winds and holds Revtom responsible for their actions.
Unsinkable yacht
TISG has said that the yacht was basically unsinkable.
TISG acquired Perini Navi out of bankruptcy in 2021, and had ambitious plans to sell nearly €1 billion in yachts by 2028.
However, since the accident, sales of Perini-Navi branded yachts have halted, with interest and negotiations with potential buyers and brokers drying up.
A report by the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch highlighted concerns about the yacht’s design, stability and operating characteristics which were not known to the owner or crew.
Bayesian’s design
Last year, TISG filed a lawsuit against The New York Times following the newspaper’s investigation into the Bayesian’s design.
In September 2024, legal papers were filed against Bacares Lynch but soon withdrawn with TISG stating at the time that its lawyers had acted without proper authorisation.
Bacares Lynch has not commented on the legal proceedings. Italian authorities have stated that the crew is under investigation.
