Family Files Lawsuit in Canadian Filmmaker’s Keys Dive Death

CURT ANDERSON AP

MIAMI (AP) - The family of a Canadian filmmaker and conservationist who died during a shark-filming excursion in the Florida Keys has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday in the death of 37-year-old Rob Stewart blames negligence on the companies and individuals who organized the January dive. The lawsuit claims Stewart disappeared while dive organizers were focused on treating his dive companion after both encountered breathing difficulties.

Unspecified damages are being sought by the lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court for Broward County, Florida.

Stewart, of Toronto, Canada, was diving off the coast of Islamorada, Florida, to film a follow-up to his 2006 documentary "Sharkwater," which examined the impact of shark hunting on the ocean's ecosystem.

He also made a 2013 documentary "Revolution" about environmental collapse and was a wildlife photographer.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.

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