Judge rules Nathan Carman contributed to boat's sinking

A judge has ruled that a Vermont man at the center of an inheritance dispute contributed to the 2016 sinking of the boat from which his mother was lost at sea.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued a written decision Monday in favor of an insurance company that refused to pay Nathan Carman for the loss of his fishing boat.

The vessel sank in 2016, leaving Linda Carman missing and presumed dead. Nathan Carman has denied doing anything to intentionally make the boat unseaworthy.

Relatives have accused him of killing his mother and his grandfather in a scheme to inherit $7 million. The grandfather was shot in 2013.

No criminal charges have been filed. Both deaths remain under investigation.

Messages seeking comment were left with Nathan Carman's attorneys.