Owner of boat that sank, killing 17, settles final lawsuit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KAIT/AP) - The owner of a tourist duck boat that sank in a Missouri lake, killing 17 people, has settled its final pending lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.

Thirty-one lawsuits have been filed against Ripley Entertainment since the former World War II amphibious vehicle sank in July 2018 at Table Rock Lake near Branson.

A joint motion for approval of a confidential settlement was filed Thursday in the final pending suit, which was filed by Joseph and William Strecker. Their 68-year-old mother, Rosemarie Hamann, was killed when the boat sank.

A Ripley spokeswoman declined to discuss details of the settlement.

Two people from Region 8 died when the boat sank. Steve Smith, 53, and his son Lance Smith, 15, were both killed in the accident.

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