A wrongful death complaint filed by King Overton’s family lays out a series of alleged safety failures at a SwimRVA summer camp. The filing says staff knew King could not swim, but that no one was assigned to watch him during free swim or account for every child in the pool.
King was nine years old when he drowned at SwimRVA North in Henrico County, Virginia, on June 15, 2026—his first day at camp. His mother, LaTaisha Johnson, had enrolled him so he could learn to swim.
Johnson and King’s sister, Khalil Hart, filed the lawsuit as administrators of King’s estate. The complaint names SwimRVA and six unidentified camp employees as defendants. It brings claims of negligence, gross negligence, and willful and wanton negligence.
The family’s lawsuit is a civil case. The allegations in the complaint have not been tested at trial, and the court has not decided who is responsible.
The complaint says staff knew King could not swim
The filing says Johnson told camp staff at drop-off that King could not swim. It also says she wrote that information on camp forms.
According to the complaint, staff reassured her that King was “in the right place.” The complaint alleges SwimRVA later allowed him into the pool during an unstructured free-swim period, without assigning an adult to watch him or pairing him with a buddy.
The filing also says King was in water above his shoulder height. It alleges that staff did not swim-test him, mark him as a non-swimmer, or restrict him to water suited to his ability.
It describes an empty lifeguard chair and a crowded pool
The complaint says SwimRVA assigned two lifeguards to the pool where King drowned. One was assigned to the shallow end, but the family alleges that the chair was empty during the relevant period. The other lifeguard was at a stand at the far end of the pool.
A large inflatable play structure was in the middle of the water. The complaint alleges it drew children toward it and sat in front of the staffed stand, making it harder for the lifeguard to see other parts of the pool. It says SwimRVA did not add another lifeguard to cover areas the structure might block.
The complaint also alleges that camp counselors and other staff were not directly supervising the children in the water. It says no SwimRVA employee saw King go under or found him.
The filing raises questions about headcounts and the rescue
The lawsuit alleges there was no buddy check, headcount, or other system to account for every child during free swim. According to the complaint, staff called the campers out of the water when free swim ended without realizing King was missing.
A young girl spotted King underwater and alerted an adult. A pool visitor—not a SwimRVA employee—pulled him from the water, according to the complaint.
The filing says witnesses believed King may have been underwater for about ten minutes or longer. The medical examiner recorded the time of the event as unknown and the death as unwitnessed. The complaint argues that staff should have detected him sooner, but the timing and circumstances remain matters for investigation and litigation.
The camp’s license is also disputed
The complaint alleges that SwimRVA was required to have a license to operate its camp as a child day program, but did not have one on the day King drowned.
The Virginia Department of Education later found that the camp did not qualify for the exemptions SwimRVA had claimed. SwimRVA has challenged that finding in court, arguing that the state misapplied Virginia law. The state later allowed the camps to operate under an exemption after changes were made.
The licensing dispute is separate from the family’s lawsuit. A licensing finding does not, by itself, prove that a defendant is legally responsible for King’s death.
What the lawsuit asks for
The complaint seeks $100 million in compensatory damages and up to $350,000 in punitive damages, for a total of $ 450,000. Those amounts are the family’s demands in the lawsuit; they are not an award or settlement.
The filing describes several areas likely to be examined as the case proceeds: what staff knew about King’s swimming ability, where lifeguards were positioned, how the inflatable affected visibility, whether anyone counted the children, and how quickly King was found and rescued.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled that King died by drowning and classified the manner of death as accidental. That ruling does not resolve the family’s civil claims. www.wtvr.com
For broader context, read our existing overview of the King Overton lawsuit. Families with questions about the legal issues may also find our pages on summer camp drowning claims and wrongful death claims helpful.
If your family is dealing with the loss of a loved one in a similar situation, you can contact Ben Crump Law to ask about a case review.
Recommended sources for the post
- Primary source: 1.3 Stamped Complaint Overton 10.16.2026.pdf
- Filing coverage: WWBT report on the lawsuit
- Medical examiner update: WTVR report on the accidental-drowning ruling
- Licensing dispute: WTVR report on SwimRVA’s appeal
- BCL background: Ben Crump Law’s pre-filing announcement
