Tony Nissen was the head of engineering for OceanGate.
I looked it up and Nissen actually left OceanGate in 2019 according to his LinkedIn. If I recall correctly, they rebuilt the Titan in 2020. Of course I don't know anything about the basis for their lawsuit, but to me it seems like they are on pretty shaky ground to pursue someone who only worked on the previous version and left four years before the implosion.
I don't know if the role was filled or there was was any "shuffling" as is sometimes seen in smaller companies. But Nissan is alive. I'm not an attorney but (cynically) I think a lawsuit that contains some live defendants, people who may be frantic about losing everything, may be easier to win against than when all the defendants are
The Complaint states that Electroimpact laid the carbon fibers used for Titan's hull, and Janicki Industries cured the material in its ovens. Hydrospace manufactured the acrylic viewport. The case against them stems mostly in a product liability framework. I think those will be hard to prevail on or even survive summary judgment. Plaintiff will have to show how these items were defective in their production. Maybe they can claim that these companies were involved in the actual design of the sub? Not sure exactly what the claim is.
