On August 19th, a yacht belonging to renowned British software technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch and renowned financial magnate Jonathan Blumer, Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, sank in the southern waters of Italy.
In this incident, a total of 7 people, including Lynch, were killed, including his daughter Hannah, Jonathan Blumer, and wife Judy Blumer, American lawyer Chris Mowello and wife Nida Mowello, and Carlo Thomas, who worked as a chef on the yacht.
According to reports from Italian media cited by Caixin News Agency, the autopsies of the Blumer and Mowello couples have been completed, restoring what happened in their last moments of life.
The autopsy results showed that none of the four individuals had water in their lungs, indicating that they had suffocated to death before drowning. Divers found the bodies of four people on the left side of the cabin. Investigators believe that the four attempted to search for the last oxygen in the cabin after the ship tilted to the right and sank, and eventually suffocated to death in carbon dioxide "bubbles". According to the report, the current examination results show no signs of injury on the four victims.
Lynch, 59 years old and known as the "British version of Bill Gates," sold his software company to HP for $11 billion years ago, a deal that was accused of fraud in the United States. HP alleges that Lynch and other company executives conspired to "inflate" the company's valuation before reaching a deal, resulting in significant financial losses for HP.
Blumer and Morvillo have appeared as witnesses and defense lawyers for Lynch's defense. In June of this year, Lynch was acquitted.
It is worth noting that HP recently stated that it will continue to seek up to $4 billion in damages from Lynch's estate in the UK.
In its latest statement, HP stated that the "judge's ruling on damages" is expected to be announced "at an appropriate time" and that "HP intends to continue the litigation process to the end". According to the Associated Press, if she loses the lawsuit, as the inheritor of the estate, Lynch's widow may be held liable for compensation. She was rescued in the yacht sinking accident, while their 18-year-old daughter unfortunately died in the accident.
The New York Times and Associated Press pointed out that although it remains to be seen how much compensation HP will ultimately receive, British judges have previously stated that actual compensation is expected to be "significantly" lower than the amount demanded by HP.