The family of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner has taken its fight to federal court, filing a wrongful-death lawsuit in Pennsylvania on Friday against the owners and operators of a luxury Costa Rican resort where 14-year-old son Miller died on March 21, 2025. The complaint accuses the resort interests of gross negligence and seeks damages for wrongful death and emotional distress, arguing that Miller’s death and his relatives’ sudden illnesses were tied to unsafe placement of mechanical equipment on the property.
According to ABC7 New York, which republished an ESPN report, the suit names two Pennsylvania executives, their venture-capital firm and two Costa Rican companies associated with the Arenas del Mar resort. The complaint says Miller and other guests stayed in rooms next to a mechanical control room, and alleges that a gas water heater combined with poor ventilation allowed carbon monoxide to drift into guest areas. The family’s attorney, Michael Eisner, told reporters, "Documents show they were warned and failed to implement simple changes for the safety of their guests."
Costa Rican authorities ruled in April 2025 that Miller’s death was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning after forensic testing found elevated carboxyhemoglobin levels and detectors recorded concentrations of up to 600 parts per million in the area, according to reporting by ESPN. Investigators said the high readings were taken from a room adjoining a machine or mechanical area and noted that several family members had fallen ill the night before Miller was discovered. The complaint details what it describes as severe and sudden symptoms among relatives that led to urgent medical attention while the family was still on vacation.
The criminal investigation in Costa Rica has proceeded on a separate track. Prosecutors searched the Arenas del Mar property and said that the evidence collected could support negligent-homicide or manslaughter charges, although "for now, no one has been charged," the Public Prosecutor's Office said, per AP News. Authorities have seized physical and digital materials in follow-up searches as part of the probe. The family’s civil suit in U.S. federal court is designed to pursue accountability and damages regardless of whether criminal charges ever materialize.
What the Lawsuit Says
The complaint contends that the defendants ignored basic safety protocols, specifically in how a gas water heater was installed and ventilated, which allegedly allowed carbon monoxide to migrate from a mechanical room into occupied guest spaces. It names company directors David Callan and R. Scott Williams, along with corporate entities tied to the resort, and seeks damages for wrongful death, gross negligence and emotional distress, according to ABC7 New York. The filing paints a picture of risks that the plaintiffs say were both foreseeable and avoidable.
Resort Response and Local Fallout
Arenas del Mar has said it is working with investigators and has pushed back on the implication that guest rooms were unsafe. Resort representatives told ESPN that high carbon monoxide levels were detected only in a mechanical room that guests do not occupy, and that readings in the Gardner family’s room were "non-existent." Local tourism organizations have called the tragedy an isolated incident while expressing sympathy for the family, and some nearby businesses reported a brief wave of cancellations after news coverage of the death. The new civil case could open the door to discovery that might surface maintenance records, inspection reports or internal warnings that the family alleges were ignored.
Next Steps
The federal suit will advance through the Pennsylvania court system, where the Gardners and other plaintiffs can use discovery tools to obtain documents and sworn testimony from the executives and companies named in the filing. At the same time, Costa Rican prosecutors are pressing ahead with their investigation and could still seek criminal charges depending on what their evidence shows, officials told AP News. Both the U.S. civil case and the Costa Rican criminal probe are expected to unfold over months, if not longer, as the Gardner family pursues answers and accountability on two fronts.
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