Sides dig in on fatal mystery at sea

Oct. 04--The Vermont man whose mother died mysteriously at sea is balking at an insurance company's demand that he turn over piles of personal records, which his lawyers say have no bearing on how the boat was destroyed.

National Liability & Fire Insurance Co. and Boat Owners Association of the United States are suing Nathan Carman in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island claiming it was his negligence that led to the boat's destruction.

To prove that, the insurers want copies of Carman's school records, employment history, medical records, telephone logs, text messages and social media postings, all photos of the boat, his Social Security number and date of birth, as well as information about his grandfather's 2013 murder, according to court documents.

The company also wants Carman to explain his Asperger's syndrome, to determine if that is an issue in the suit. His lawyers say none of the records are relevant, including his medical condition.

"Defendant's brain works differently than the general population and this difference can affect the way in which he communicates with, and is perceived by, the average person," Carman's lawyers wrote.

They also said asking for 10 years of medical records in an insurance case was "discovery abuse."

Nathan's mother, Linda Carman, disappeared last September when Nathan's boat, the Chicken Pox, sank on a fishing trip. The insurance company is arguing that Carman is not entitled to coverage due to faulty repairs he made.

During an interview with the insurance company's attorneys, Carman stated that the day before the boat sank he made several changes to it, according to court documents. Among them was opening "four half dollar sized holes in the hull near the waterline and attempted on his own to fill them," according to a court filing.

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. When Carman's mother went missing at sea, he stepped in line to get her share of the Chakalos estate.

He has never been charged in either death and has denied having a hand in either.

___

(c)2017 the Boston Herald

Visit the Boston Herald at www.bostonherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.