MAINE, USA — Editor's note: This video originally aired on May 24, 2021.
A federal judge ruled the owners of a Maine-based fishing boat that sank off Cape Cod last fall are "not at fault."
The judge also awarded nearly $1 million in damages divided among the victims' families, according to court documents filed this week.
The 82-foot Emmy Rose vanished off the coast of Massachusetts in November 2020, claiming the lives of all four fishermen on board.
The company that owned the boat—Aaron and Melissa Inc.—said it was "seaworthy" and "strong and fit" for sea.
Court documents state the families of Ethan Ward, Robert Blethen, Michael Porper, and Jeffrey Matthews will receive hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece for pain and suffering, loss of support, and help cover funeral costs.
While the boat was found in May 2021, the cause of the sinking has not yet been determined.
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