One day before the two-year anniversary of her son and another Tequesta teenager being lost at sea, Carly Black released a statement, saying a lawsuit brought by the other teen's mom will force the families to "relive this horrible nightmare."
Black released the statement through her attorney, George Harris, regarding a lawsuit that blames her and three others for the disappearance of her son, Austin Stephanos, and his friend, Perry Cohen.
The suit was brought Friday by Pamela Cohen, Perry’s mother, in Palm Beach County Court.
“The loss was a tragedy for both families, and (the lawsuit filed) by the Cohen family will not bring the boys back,” the statement read.
READ: The Post’s complete coverage of the missing Tequesta teens
Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen were last seen July 24, 2015, motoring a 19-foot boat out of the Jupiter Inlet and into a powerful offshore storm.
The lawsuit seeks money for damages from Black and three others — Austin’s father, William “Blu” Stephanos; Black’s husband and Austin’s stepfather, Richard “Bubba” Black; and Black’s father, Richard Kuntz.
The suit claims that negligence led to the boys’ disappearance, adding that the four defendants knew the boys were going deep-sea fishing, even though Perry Cohen was “expressly prohibited” by his mother from doing so.
Evidence will contradict the claims made by the lawsuit, Harris, Black’s attorney, said in the statement.
“Now, everyone will be forced to relive this horrible nightmare on a daily basis in order to defend this lawsuit and to prepare for trial,” the statement said.
Black’s husband, who is also being sued, was out of the country when the boys disappeared, according to the statement.
According to the statement, Black said that she is saddened but not surprised by the lawsuit.
She will not make any more public statements at this time and added that she and her attorneys encourage the Cohens and their attorneys from doing the same, according to the statement.
On Saturday, Blu Stephanos’ attorney said he “was not negligent in any manner.”
Michael Pike said his client didn’t know the boys’ plans “on that tragic day and that his son was in the custody of his mother at the time, with whom Blu was divorced for many years.”
Staff writers Jorge Milian and Bill DiPaolo contributed to this article.
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