The Dylan Harrison Law Suit

Subscriber Content Preview
Only active subscribers can view the whole article here

Dive instructors, their training agencies, and dive schools might soon discover they are not insured if they are not more careful during training.

A lawsuit involving Divers Alert Network (more specifically, its insurance affiliate, DAN Risk Retention Group) was filed on June 16, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The case is DAN Risk Retention Group, Inc. v. PADI Americas, Inc., et al., regarding the lawsuit filed by the family of 12 year old Dylan Harrison, who died during a scuba certification course in Texas in August 2025. (see Undercurrent January 2026). It's a wrongful-death lawsuit against multiple parties, including: PADI, NAUI, the dive businesses Scuba Toys and Scuba Ranch, and individual dive professionals involved in the training.

What the DAN Lawsuit Contends

The DAN federal suit alleges failures of supervision, training, safety procedures, and emergency response and is focused on the insurance obligations arising from those allegations.

It is not a claim that PADI, NAUI, or the dive professionals committed wrongdoing. Instead, it is an insurance coverage lawsuit (a "declaratory judgment" action). DAN is asking the federal court to decide:

Which insurance policies apply to the underlying case Which defendants qualify as insureds under those policies Whether DAN must continue providing a legal defense Whether DAN would be required to pay any future judgment or settlement if liability is found

Why Are Dive Educators Paying Attention?...

Subscribers: Read the full article here

 

;