PROVIDENCE, RI -- A judge has found Nathan Carman's insurance policy does not cover the sinking of his boat.
In his ruling, Judge John McConnell said, "The court finds that the Policy does not cover Mr. Carman's loss. Because the facts show that Mr. Carman made improper and faulty repairs to his boat that contributed to its sinking, Exclusion D in the Policy excludes the claimed loss."
The claim was for his boat called "Chickenpox" which sank off the coast of Rhode Island in 2016. Carman was found and rescued about a week later, but his mother, also on the boat, has been presumed dead.
During the trial, the insurance company argued that Carman made modifications to the boat which in turn caused it to sink. Carman's attorney argued that the boat was old and there was no way of proving why it actually sank. During closing arguments, the attorney for the insurance company said Carman performed shoddy repairs and had serious credibility issues, “You don’t put a boat with half inch holes out to sea.”
In his closing arguments, Carman's attorney said "The Chicken Pox” was a plug and it was never intended to be a working boat.
Testimony in the case was heard from the man who sold Carman the boat, insurance representatives, oceanographers, and Carman himself.
During the testimony, Carman detailed the moments he realized the boat was going to sink. He said he told his mother to reel in the fishing lines but did not hear from her.
At one point, he said "I thought of my mom more like a passenger in the sense she was kind of part of the problem rather than the solution."
The case has gained so much attention due to Carman being a person of interest in the death of his mother and the 2013 death of his grandfather who was found shot to death in his Windsor home.