The Growing Legal War Over Evidence:Camp Mystic Fights To Appeal Closure After July 4th Tragedy

The legal battle surrounding the re-opening of Camp Mystic continues in Austin.

Camp Mystic Files Appeal Following Court-Ordered Shutdown

In a significant legal shift following the tragic July 4th flood that claimed the lives of 27 campers and counselors, the legal team for Camp Mystic has officially filed an accelerated appeal against a court order that closed its Guadalupe River campus. According to KCEN, the appeal, filed with the Third Court of Appeals in Austin on March 25, 2026, challenges a temporary injunction that currently prohibits any operations or structural changes at the site.

Read More: How Texas Camps Are Improving Flood Safety After Tragedy 

The Scope of the Injunction

The injunction was originally granted by Judge Maya Guerra Gamble following a hearing in a Travis County courtroom earlier this month. The legal action was initiated by attorneys Brad Beckworth and Christina Yarnell, who represent the family of Cile Steward, the only camper who remains missing.

What is Prohibited Under the Current Court Order

Under the current court order, Camp Mystic is strictly prohibited from:

Altering or Demolishing Structures: This includes the Main Office, Rec Hall, Harrison Hall, and the Commissary.

Operating Camp Activities: The Guadalupe campus cannot host campers or staff.

Residential Use: The Eastland family is barred from living on the property.

The primary goal of the injunction is to preserve the "evidentiary integrity" of the site, allowing investigators to reconstruct the final moments of the victims.

The Push for Arbitration

While both sides initially expressed satisfaction with the Judge’s handling of the March 4 hearing, that changed with the camp’s move toward arbitration. Camp Mystic’s appeal preserves their right to move the dispute into a private setting under an existing agreement. Attorneys for the Steward family disagree, saying, "If this appeal is successful... the public, the state, and regulators may never hear the testimony about what happened. Everything could be done confidentially under a seal, and that’s dangerous."

Looking Toward Summer 2026

Defense attorney Mikal Watts tells KCEN that nearly 900 girls have signed up for the upcoming summer sessions, even though the camp has yet to apply for its license with the Texas Department of State Health Services. The application deadline is March 31, so the clock is ticking for the camp to prove it can provide a safe environment.