Motion granted for fourth crew member to join lawsuit against former Loon captain

Motion granted for fourth crew member to join lawsuit against former Loon captain

Following a hearing on 2 April, the courts have now granted Loon sous chef Natalie Rohrs the right to join the negligence complaint filed against the superyacht's former captain, Paul Clarke, following the Reel Wild tender crash in St Barths in December 2024. 

Rohrs now joins Plaintiffs Natalia Niznik, Klara Holubova and Austin Scaccianoce in the case against Clarke, which saw the original complaint pursuing damages in excess of $100,000. 

Court documents obtained by BOAT International state that the Defendant has 20 days to respond to the intervening complaint. 

Fourth crew member requests to join lawsuit against former Loon captain

A fourth crew member has requested to join the negligence complaint filed against the former captain of Loon. According to the filing, Natalie Rohrs – Loon's sous chef and co-worker of the three current Plaintiffs, Austin Scaccianoce, Natalia Niznik and Klara Holubova  – was also on board the yacht's tender Reel Wild at the time of the crash. 

Court documents obtained by BOAT International state that Rohrs was seated in the second row of seating behind Reel Wild's helm at the time of the collision. The force of the impact caused her to be "thrown forward in the interior" and "flung" over the first row of seating, landing on her back and hitting her head on the aft deck. The report states that she lost consciousness and sustained injuries to her back, neck, head and left foot. 

After receiving initial care at a local hospital, Rohrs was found to have suffered from a spinal fracture and a concussion, among other physical injuries. The documents also state that she experienced  "substantial" mental and psychological trauma from the incident and has since undergone treatment.

As was included in Scaccianoce's motion in June last year, the latest filing once again emphasised the importance of intervention. The document states that if the trial were to proceed without Rohrs, she would "lose her opportunity of recovery for her injuries". 

According to the court documents, Rohrs seeks a trial by jury to recover the amounts due for negligence, consequential damages, attorneys' fees and costs and punitive damages. A hearing is scheduled for 2 April.  

Date set for trial of former Loon superyacht captain

A date has been confirmed for the trial of Loon's former captain, Paul Clarke. The trial is officially scheduled to begin on 12 October 2026 in Broward County, Florida, and will conclude 18 days later. 

Motion for third-party intervention in Loon case granted

The courts have granted Loon videographer Austin Scaccianoce the right to join the negligence complaint filed against the superyacht's former captain, Paul Clarke, following an injurious tender crash in St Barths (24 December). 

Scaccianoce will now join original Plaintiffs Natalia Niznik and Klara Holubova in seeking relief from Clarke, with the original complaint pursuing damages in excess of $100,000, citing expense of hospitalisation, medical expenses, nursing care and treatment, loss of earnings, impairment of earning capacity and working ability, as well as "mental and psychological trauma".

Third crew member requests to join lawsuit against former Loon captain

A third crew member has requested to join the negligence complaint filed against the former captain of Loon. According to the new filing, Austin Scaccianoce – Loon's videographer and co-worker of original Plaintiffs Natalia Niznik and Klara Holubova – was on board and "similarly injured" at the time of the crash.

Court documents obtained by BOAT International describe how the force of the collision resulted in Scaccianoce sustaining injuries to his hips, with further injuries to his legs and feet – including a fracture – caused by "rescu[ing]" Niznik, who had been thrown overboard.

The latest filing emphasised the importance of intervention – as, if the trial were to proceed without him, Scaccianoce would "lose his opportunity of recovery for his injuries". He entreated the Court to "allow him to intervene in this action", while also requesting any further relief it deemed "just and proper".

Court date set for former Loon superyacht captain and crew

A court date has been set for Loon's former captain and crew, who are embroiled in a legal dispute following an injurious tender crash in St Barths. Earlier this month, Captain Paul Clarke filed to dismiss the negligence complaint raised against him by his two former crew members, who claimed that he had "abandoned the helm" of the superyacht's tender following a celebratory Christmas lunch at Gypsea Beach Club, causing injury to six of the 11 American nationals on board.

The hearing is officially scheduled for 10 July in Broward County, Florida.

Former Loon captain files to dismiss $100k complaint following St Barths tender crash

The former captain of the 67.5-metre Icon superyacht Loon, Paul Clarke, has filed to dismiss the negligence complaint raised against him by two former crew members. The motion to dismiss argued that the basis of the complaint, which alleges that he "owned, used or possessed property [and] was domiciled" in Broward County, is "demonstrably untrue".

"The Defendant is a United Kingdom citizen residing in Australia [...] and has only visited the State of Florida for personal reasons or to receive the mandatory educational training for his job," the filing read, adding that the "burden" of defending litigation in Florida would be too high on Clarke.

As such, Clarke has "respectfully request[ed]" that the Court dismiss the complaint.

New captain announced for Loon

Brokerage firm IYC has selected Captain Michael James as the new rotational captain for Loon as she continues her charter programme across Croatia. The announcement comes shortly after two former crew members (Natalia Niznik and Klara Holubova) filed a negligence complaint against Loon's former captain, Paul Clarke.

James has previous experience on board the 63.5-metre Benetti superyacht Moca, Feadship's 57.5-metre Halo and the 51.8-metre Oceanco yacht Joy.

Crew members file claim against Captain Paul Clarke

Two former crew members of the 67.5-metre superyacht Loon have filed a negligence complaint against Captain Paul Clarke following an injurious tender crash in St Barths. 

Court documents obtained by BOAT International describe how Clarke – cited as the "operator" of the tender Reel Wild – "abandoned the helm" during their return from a celebratory Christmas lunch at Gypsea Beach Club, leaving the vessel "to continue forward in total darkness" at a cruising speed of between 48 and 51 miles per hour. The tender then collided with a peninsula of rocks, injuring six of the 11 American nationals on board.

The force of the collision caused one of the plaintiffs – Natalia Niznik – to be ejected from the vessel, landing on the rocks and sustaining injuries to her face, leg and jaw. The other plaintiff, Klara Holubova, remained on the tender but still sustained injuries to her knee, leg and ear.

As a result, the pair are pursuing damages in excess of $100,000, citing expense of hospitalisation, medical expenses, nursing care and treatment, loss of earnings, impairment of earning capacity and working ability, as well as "mental and psychological trauma".

Crashed tender confirmed to belong to Loon

The tender that crashed in St Barths has been confirmed to belong to the 67.5-metre Icon superyacht, Loon. 

She is one of the most recognisable superyachts on the social media scene, though all her accounts – including Instagram and YouTube – have become private since the incident occurred.

Unidentified tender crashes in St Barths, injuring six American nationals

A chase boat reportedly owned by a superyacht anchored in the Port of Gustavia has crashed onto the rocks of Anse des Cayes Bay in St Barths. Six people have been injured out of the 11 American nationals on board, including one woman who was reportedly "ejected" from the boat on impact. 

The chase boat belongs to HCB Yachts' 53' Sueños RXV series, measuring 16.2 metres and equipped with quad engines, a fully functional fishing platform and galley kitchen. The driver is yet to be identified.