(WTIC-AM) -- A federal judge today ruled against a man who has been accused by relatives in the deaths of his mother and his grandfather.
In 2016, Nathan Carman was found at sea, drifting in a lifeboat after an ill-fated fishing trip with his mother Linda Carman.
She was never seen again.
A federal judge in Rhode Island has now ruled in a battle over whether Carman's insurance company should pay for the loss of Carman's 31 foot sport fishing boat the Chicken Pox.
The judge found that when the boat left Rams Point Marina on its final voyage, it was unseaworthy because Carman had removed bulkheads.
The bulkheads provided structural strength and buoyant air pockets.
The judge noted that Carman also failed to properly seal half dollar-size holes he left in the hull while working on the boat.
The judge ruled that the changes at least indirectly caused the boat to sink, therefore the insurance company does not have to pay.
The ruling does not address claims by Carman's aunts that he deliberately sank the boat, to get a multi-million dollar inheritance.
Carman faces no charges in the deaths of his aunt or his grandfather.
