BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A federal lawsuit over the overturning of the Golden Ray cargo ship has been settled.
The Golden Ray capsized on the morning of Sept. 8, 2019, in the St. Simon Sound in Georgia while heading out to sea. The ship was carrying 4,161 vehicles and an estimated 380,000 gallons of fuel in its tanks.
Three years after the ship overturned, a group of Brunswick fishermen and local businesses filed the suit against the ship's owner and the company that recovered the wreckage. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Brunswick on behalf of over 30 shrimpers, fishing guides and crabbers. The suit claimed that the “willful misconduct, malice, fraud” of those named caused environmental damage to the St. Simon Sound.
In the complaint, the plaintiffs claim the defendants created a continuing nuisance by interfering with their ability to shrimp, crab, and travel through the sound because of debris.
According to court documents filed last week, the lawsuit has been dismissed after all parties involved reached an agreement to settle out of court.