Who are Marc and Sharon Hagle? Missing OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was sued for fraud by Florida couple
NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA: Amid frantic search for OceanGate Expeditions' missing submersible Titan and its five occupants during a dive to the Titanic's wreckage, a Florida couple has spoken about their legal action against the CEO of the Titanic tourism company. Marc and Sharon Hagle claim they were deceived about their wreck visit and denied a $210,258 refund after expressing dissatisfaction with the service.
Whilst the recent expedition participants were billionaire Hamish Harding, CEO of Action Aviation, Dubai, and Shahzada Dawood, a UK-based Prince's Trust charity board member, along with his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet and OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, 61, may also be on board the vessel that went missing on Sunday, June 18. The submersible initially had a 96-hour emergency oxygen supply, likely now reduced to around 40 hours. Thus far, search efforts have yielded limited results, with time ticking away relentlessly.
Who is Marc and Sharon Hagle?
Marc and Sharon Hagle, renowned for their philanthropic endeavors and daring nature, amassed their wealth through commercial real estate ventures. They made headlines in March 2022 as they became the first married couple to venture into space as part of a Blue Origin passenger space flight. In 2016, during a trip to the South Pole, they became fascinated with the idea of exploring the underwater world. Consequently, in 2017, they became early customers of OceanGate, a company founded by Seattle-born aviator and businessman Stockton Rush.
However, the Hagles' dream of diving to the Titanic's wreckage was never realized. In February of this year, they filed a lawsuit against Rush, alleging that he knowingly sold them an adventure that was not on schedule and failed to provide a refund as promised. "During their September 27, 2017 meeting, Rush made several false statements of material fact to Plaintiffs, including, without limitation: (a) regarding the status of development and testing of Cyclops 2 as of that date, (b) that Cyclops 2 would be ready to dive on the Titanic by June of 2018," claimed the suit, obtained by The Daily Beast.
'I think the pleadings speak for themselves!'
"(c) if plaintiffs had any questions or concerns as to the integrity of Cyclops 2 and/or the timing of the expedition if it were to be delayed, they could request, and would receive, a full refund of all monies paid with no questions asked, and (d) plaintiffs' deposits were, and any future payments by plaintiffs would be, held in a dedicated client escrow account separate from his or OceanGate's funds." The Hagles also alleged that their trip was repeatedly postponed by a year three separate times, due to testing requirements and unspecified 'equipment failure.'
Marc spoke of the lawsuit and expressed concern for the well-being of the missing occupants saying, "My thoughts go out to the owners of Oceangate, the people that are on the submersible, both the crew and the guests. And we're hoping for a miracle and that everybody comes home safely," adding, "I think the pleadings speak for themselves." The Hagles are pursuing the return of their funds, along with attorney fees and other compensations, although the current status of the lawsuit remains uncertain.