Mike Lynch luxury yacht manufacturer files £400m lawsuit against the widow of a British billionaire

Legal Battle Erupts After Superyacht Tragedy

Angela Bacares Lynch, who survived the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht in August 2024, now faces a massive lawsuit from the vessel’s builder following the disaster.

Shipbuilder Seeks £400 Million in Damages

The Italian Sea Group (TISG) has initiated a legal claim worth €456 million (approximately £399 million) in a Sicilian court. The company alleges that the crew and the holding company behind the superyacht were at fault for the vessel’s loss, which they say has severely damaged their business.

According to documents reviewed by The Telegraph, TISG claims that being blamed for the incident has led to hundreds of millions of euros in lost sales.

Background of the Incident

Mike Lynch, a prominent British tech entrepreneur and former CEO of Autonomy, perished in the accident along with his teenage daughter Hannah and five others when the yacht overturned during an unexpected storm in August 2024.

Angela Bacares Lynch, Lynch’s widow and survivor of the tragedy, is the registered owner of Revtom, the Isle of Man-based company that possessed the £30 million yacht.

Allegations of Negligence

TISG, led by Italian yachting magnate Giovanni Costantino, asserts that the crew’s mishandling and mistakes caused the yacht to capsize off the coast of Sicily. The lawsuit claims the Bayesian was considered “unsinkable,” but crew errors—such as failing to secure hatches, ignoring weather alerts, and not lowering the keel—led to the disaster.

Angela Bacares Lynch has chosen not to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.

Family Response and Investigation Findings

A source close to the Lynch family criticized the lawsuit, describing it as both predictable and opportunistic. They pointed out that the UK’s investigation had highlighted unresolved concerns about the yacht’s design, stability, and operational safety—issues that were unknown to both the owner and crew.

The source argued that the legal action is an attempt to divert attention from these critical questions and insisted that it would not prevent a thorough review of how the vessel was designed and constructed.

Contradictory Reports

While TISG maintains the yacht was “unsinkable,” the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch previously reported that the vessel, which featured one of the tallest masts in the world, had vulnerabilities unknown to its crew.

Details of the Lawsuit

The claim, filed in Termini Imerese near the site of the sinking, targets Revtom, captain James Cutfield, and crew members Timothy Eaton and Matthew Griffiths. TISG alleges that the captain and crew made a series of grave mistakes that prevented the yacht from righting itself in strong winds, and holds Revtom responsible for their actions.

The company says it has suffered devastating financial losses, including a sharp decline in revenue, profits, and the value of Perini Navi—the shipyard that built the Bayesian in 2008.

Impact on Business

After acquiring Perini Navi out of bankruptcy in 2021, TISG had ambitious plans to sell nearly €1 billion in yachts by 2028. However, since the accident, sales of Perini-branded yachts have completely halted. The company reports that ongoing negotiations with potential buyers have collapsed, and interest from international yacht brokers has vanished.

Ongoing Investigations and Legal Actions

TISG has not provided further comment, and attempts to reach the captain and crew members have been unsuccessful. Italian authorities have confirmed that the crew is under criminal investigation.

Mike Lynch’s Legacy and Further Legal Challenges

Mike Lynch was the founder of Autonomy, a Cambridge-based software company that he sold to Hewlett Packard (HP) for £7 billion in 2011. Although he was acquitted of fraud charges in the US in 2024, he died while celebrating his legal victory with family and friends aboard the yacht.

His estate now faces the threat of bankruptcy due to a separate UK lawsuit from HP, which is seeking £1.5 billion in damages.

Last year, TISG also filed a lawsuit against The New York Times following the newspaper’s investigation into the Bayesian’s design.