Producer Sued for Wrongful Death in Assistant's Drowning During Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux’s Honeymoon
Hollywood producer Joel Silver is being sued by the family of Carmel Musgrove — his former assistant who drowned and died in 2015 during a star-studded trip to Bora Bora for Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux’s honeymoon.
According to the lawsuit filed Friday in L.A. County Superior Court and published by The Hollywood Reporter, the 28-year-old’s parents and estate allege that Silver, his company Silver Pictures and Silver’s personal chef Martin Herold are responsible for her wrongful death.
According to the documents obtained by THR, Musgrove was found dead by Bora Bora authorities on Aug. 20, 2015 — her nude body found floating on the banks of a nearby lagoon just 500 yards away from her Four Seasons Hotel bungalow.
She had gone missing on Aug. 18 after a day of fishing, drinking, and dining with Silver’s family, the lawsuit claims — later stopping at the bungalow of Herold where the two allegedly consumed alcohol, cocaine and marijuana.
After retreating to her room around 11 p.m. and she allegedly emailed Herold a message that read “Xxx” around midnight, according to the documents.
Silver and friends had set out to find her the next afternoon, according to the documents. She was discovered around 1 a.m., the suit says.
According to the lawsuit, Musgrove’s death was ruled the result of a number of factors by French authorities, including “overconsumption of alcohol, consumption of cocaine, fatigue caused by overwork, heat stroke after the fishing trip and a midnight swim during unfavorable weather conditions.”
“Four of these reasons are traceable to conduct involving the defendants,” the family’s lawyers claim in the suit.
According to the documents, Silver told French authorities that he knew Musgrove and Herold sometimes drank together but that he “never saw anything” relating to drug use.
Representatives for Silver did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After Musgrove’s death, Silver’s released a statement through his publicist.
“Joel Silver, his family and his staff are devastated by the passing of Carmel Musgrove,” the publicist said, according to THR. “Carmel was a dear friend and respected colleague with a very bright future ahead of her. They will all miss her dearly.”
Aniston and Theurox’s tropical honeymoon followed a day after they tied the knot at their Bel Air mansion. In addition to Silver, other guests included Jason Bateman, Jimmy Kimmel and their families, PEOPLE reported.
