two of the families later sued the magic empire council and its insurer for $5 million, alleging negligence. the civil trial included discussion of the threatening note and the fact that tent #8 was from the counselors' tent. in 1985, by a 9–3 vote, jurors decided in favor of magic empire. by that time, hart was already dead. as a convicted rapist and jail escapee, he still had 305 years of his 308-year sentence left to serve in the oklahoma state penitentiary.