Yacht owner sues Galveston repair shop over Hurricane Ike damage

GALVESTON - A Houston man claims a local yacht maintenance company's building collapsed on his vessel during Hurricane Ike and is suing for up to $750,000.

Wayne Langston says he hired Galveston Yacht Services Inc. to do repair work on his boat, the Adventuress, in early 2008.

According to the original complaint filed April 23 in Galveston County District Court, the defendant parked the vessel next to its "dilapidated" repair facility. Ike, a Category 2 hurricane, made landfall on the eastern tip of Galveston Island during the early morning hours of Sept. 13, 2008.

"The entire service building collapsed onto the plaintiff's boat to the point where the building could not stand without the support of the vessel," the suit says.

"The boat could not be moved for months without resulting in the complete destruction of the vessels stored inside the structure that was leaning against the Adventuress."

Langston argues he was not allowed to check on his boat and it deteriorated from a lack of attention to the point where it was irreparable.

Harbor Properties Inc., which owns the land on which Galveston Yacht Service maintained its repair facility, is also a defendant in the case.

The Law Office of Robert D. Clements Jr. & Associates is representing the plaintiff.

The litigation has been assigned to Galveston County 10th District Court Judge David Garner.

Case No. 10-cv-1115