Imagine losing your husband and daughter in a tragic yacht accident, and then being sued for hundreds of millions of pounds! That's the reality facing Angela Bacares, the widow of British billionaire Mike Lynch. But here's the twist: the Italian company that built the ill-fated superyacht is blaming her for the disaster.
The Italian Sea Group (ITS), the builders of the 'Bayesian,' are reportedly taking Bacares to court, demanding a staggering €456 million (that's roughly £400 million!). Their argument? They claim the yacht's sinking, and the subsequent negative publicity, has cost them millions in lost sales. Think of it this way: a luxury brand's reputation is everything, and a disaster like this can seriously damage their image and future business.
The 'Bayesian' sank off the coast of Sicily, a tragedy that claimed the lives of seven people, including Mike Lynch, a tech magnate, his daughter Hannah, and others. Bacares herself survived the ordeal. In the aftermath, she described the 'very sudden' moment the yacht ran into trouble. She had previously felt reassured by the crew, especially after they successfully navigated a severe storm near Naples just weeks before.
But here's where it gets controversial... ITS isn't pointing fingers at a design flaw or mechanical failure. Instead, they're alleging that the crew's incompetence and negligence were the primary cause of the sinking. They claim the 'Bayesian' was struck by a sudden and violent weather system – some have even described it as a tornado – during the night.
The lawsuit is being brought against Bacares in her capacity as the legal owner of Revtom, the Isle of Man-registered company that owned the £30 million yacht. TISG is majority-owned by Italian yachting millionaire Giovanni Costantino.
A source close to the Lynch family strongly refutes these claims, calling them “cynical” and “predictable.” They argue that the UK investigation into the sinking has raised “serious, unresolved questions” about the yacht’s design, stability, and operating characteristics – vulnerabilities that the owner and crew were allegedly unaware of. And this is the part most people miss... the source suggests that the lawsuit is a deliberate attempt to distract from these critical issues regarding the yacht's construction and approval. They believe the action is
