“Today was a legal and moral victory for our continued efforts to find Cile," said an attorney for the family
The parents of Cecilia "Cile" Steward, the only remaining missing camper from last year’s Camp Mystic flooding tragedy, helped score a legal win amid the camp’s plan to reopen this summer.
As part of their lawsuit, which accused the camp of negligence and gross negligence, Will and CiCi Steward asked that the camp be prevented "from altering or destroying the Camp Mystic site and physical evidence central to this case."
At a Wednesday, March 4, court hearing, Travis County District Court Judge Maya Guerra Gamble granted a temporary injunction, ruling that the camp’s owners cannot alter, remodel, remove, reconstruct or demolish the specific cabins where the campers were housed in at the time of the July 4, 2025, disaster, which killed 27 campers and counselors as well as co-owner Dick Eastland, according to a transcript obtained by PEOPLE.
Credit: District Clerk Travis County
In addition to the cabins, Gamble barred the camp owners from modifying the main office building, the rec hall and the commissary, and said that those spaces cannot be used "to ensure" everything remains "in their current state for forensic inspection."
In a statement about Gamble’s ruling shared with PEOPLE, Brad Beckworth, an attorney for the Stewards, wrote: “We’re glad Judge Gamble gave everyone a full opportunity to be heard."
"She granted our motion to stop Camp Mystic from reopening the Guadalupe campus effective immediately so that all evidence that will help us get the truth of what happened to Cile will be brought to light," added Gamble.
“Today was a legal and moral victory for our continued efforts to find Cile," added Christina Yarnell, another attorney for the couple.
The Stewards’ complaint — which is not the only lawsuit that's been filed against the camp over the past year — accused Camp Mystic of negligence and gross negligence, alleging that their daughter was ordered to stay in her cabin while waiting for instructions on what to do next.
The complaint also claimed that Dick Eastland largely ignored the flash flood warning at the time, choosing instead to focus on moving the camp's canoes to higher ground.
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool
The judge's ruling, however, stopped short of preventing the all-girls camp from reopening altogether — and Mikal Watts, an attorney for Camp Mystic, said they were "thrilled" with the judge's decision to allow their Cypress Lake location, which is described as independent from the nearby camp along the Guadalupe River where the flooding tragedy took place.
“Camp Mystic is thrilled with today's proceedings in front of Judge Maya Guerra Gamble," Watts said in a statement, according to local ABC station KVII-TV. "Today was a good day for camping in Texas, and we look forward to continuing our litigation efforts."
According to NBC News, Watts said the camp has "agreed to" work "on the structural separation to keep kids away from Guadalupe River while they’re attending camp this summer at Cypress Lake."
Watts did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for additional comment.
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool
At Wednesday’s hearing, Edward Eastland, whose family operates the camp, testified for the defense about how members of his own family evacuated to higher ground and said that while there were security cameras, no one watching the live feed in the middle of the night as the waters rose, the Associated Press reported.
He also claimed that counselors were trained only in keeping campers away from floodwaters, CBS affiliate KHOU reported.
In total, over 130 people were killed in central Texas as a result of the catastrophic flooding.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Will and Cici Stewart said his testimony was "astonishing to hear" and that what happened that night "ultimately proved to be a death sentence for Twins and Bubble Inn campers.”
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Watts, the attorney representing the camp, said at the hearing that over 850 campers have signed up to attend Camp Mystic this summer, the AP reported. The camp is awaiting approval on a license by state regulators to reopen, a plan which Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has urged against until “all legislative investigations are complete and any necessary corrective actions are taken.”
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