Deaths of Nathan Carman’s mother, grandfather have ‘striking’ parallels, insurance lawyer claims in federal records

Sept. 21--Lawyers for an insurance company fighting the payment of any money to Nathan Carman for his boat, which sank with his mother on board last year, said the parallels between his mother's death and his grandfather's killing are "striking," according to court records.

The National Liability & Fire Insurance Co. and the Boat Owners Association is fighting the payment of $85,000 to Carman for the insurance policy he had on his boat.

The groups filed a civil lawsuit in Rhode Island federal court asking a judge rule against the payment.

A recent filing by the groups says Carman, 23, is now refusing to answer questions about the day his boat sank with his mother, Linda Carman, on board.

Carman, who lives in Vermont, was rescued 100 miles off Martha's Vineyard roughly a week after his boat sunk on Sept. 18, 2016.

Linda Carman, 54, was never found and presumed dead. She was on the boat with her son. Carman has been questioned in her death.

Carman could inherit millions from his mother's death, but his aunts filed a lawsuit in New Hampshire to block him from collecting any inheritance.

Carman's grandfather, John Chakalos, was shot and killed in Connecticut in 2013. Carman has been called a suspect in the case and was the last person to see his millionaire grandfather alive.

Attorney David J. Farrell Jr. wrote that the insurance company has requesting Carman to provide information on numerous questions.

One question, which Carman refused to answer, was for him to list the names, addresses and telephone numbers of people he spoke with regarding any issues in the civil case. Carman contends the question is overly broad.

The insurance lawyer argues Nathan Carman's "actions/inactions regarding his mother's death are within the scope of discovery as 'relevant' to the sinking and 'proportional to the needs of the case' as is his grandfather's unsolved homicide, potentially similarly motivated by Nathan Carman's possible $[multi] million inheritance."

Farrell writes that Carman was the last person to see both his mother and grandfather alive.

The filing by Farrell further asks for Carman to list all insurance claims he has made in his life. Carman said the information requested by the insurance lawyer is not relevant to the case.

"Perhaps Nathan Carman made an insurance claim for the assault rifle that went missing after his grandfather was murdered," Farrell wrote.

The lawyer continued to say in the paperwork that Carman should disclose information about any firearms he owned or has owned.

"The parallels between his grandfather's murder and his mother's death are striking," Farrell wrote.

___

(c)2017 MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass.

Visit MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass. at www.masslive.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.