Attorneys: Boat fixes sink Carman’s claim

Nathan Carman, the man who was rescued at sea after his mother disappeared while on a fishing trip with him last year, made “suspicious alterations” to the boat that sank, according to attorneys for the vessel’s insurance company.

Nathan’s mother, Linda Carman, disappeared last September when Nathan’s boat, the Chicken Pox, sank while on a fishing trip. National Liability & Fire Insurance Co., which insured the boat, is arguing in federal court that Nathan Carman is not entitled to coverage due to faulty repairs he made.

In a new filing, attorneys for the company asked a Rhode Island judge to force Nathan Carman to confirm the validity of statements he made during a five-and-ahalf hour interview with attorneys for the insurance company. According to the filing, Carman’s attorneys have refused to “confirm the truth and accuracy” of the transcript that came from that under-oath conversation.

“With missing evidence, including Nathan Carman’s mother and his suspicious structural alterations and repairs to his boat, plus its most curious sinking off the continental shelf, defendant’s pre-litigation testimony on these topics is critical evidence here,” wrote David J. Farrell Jr. in the motion.

Attorneys for Carman did not respond to a request for comment.

During the interview with the insurance company’s attorneys, Carman testified that the day before the boat sank he made several changes to it, according to court documents. Among other alterations, he “opened four half dollar sized holes in the hull near the waterline and attempted on his own to fill them,” according to an earlier court filing.

Attorneys for the insurance company have maintained that the boat sinking was not unintentional and are contesting Carman’s claim for its loss.

The court documents have given a rare glimpse into the deep-ocean mystery surrounding Nathan Carman, his mother and millions of dollars that could be at stake through inheritance.

Carman’s aunts are separately battling in court in New Hampshire to try to prevent him from getting any of the estimated $40 million estate of their father, John Chakalos. Their lawsuit claims Carman shot and killed Chakalos in his Windsor, Conn., home in 2013.