The family of Glenn Howeth of Winslow, Arizona, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit over his fatal heart attack in June 2008. The suit alleges that the heart attack was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty equipment on a rented houseboat.

Howeth was 62 when he and his family rented the houseboat and took a trip approximately 40 miles upstream from Glen Canyon Dam. Carbon monoxide built up during the trip, sickening several members of the party, and allegedly triggered Glenn's heart attack. The other family members eventually recovered from their ailments.

The suit argues that the houseboat’s generator produced a buildup of carbon monoxide and that the design of the boat allowed the gas to become trapped. Furthermore, the Howeth family argues that the boat's carbon monoxide detectors did not go off, which meant the family was unaware that the gas had built up to toxic levels. Carbon monoxide poisoning often causes nausea and headaches, which can be mistaken for symptoms of dehydration or the flu, as the gas is colorless and odorless.

The Howeths are accusing multiple defendants of negligence in Howeth’s death. They include Twin Anchors Marine Limited, the company that manufactured the boat; Centek Industries and Westerbeke Corp., which cooperated to design and manufacture the generator and a component part that leaked the dangerous gas; and Aramark Corp., which rented the boat to the family.

All of the defendants have denied liability in the matter.  In particular, Aramark has filed a District Court lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment that it has no liability in the matter. Aramark alternatively asserts that if it is found responsible for Howeth's death, admiralty laws limit its total financial liability to the value of the houseboat, in this case $275,000.

The plaintiffs' original suit was filed in Illinois before it was transferred to U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City, where it may be consolidated with the Aramark suit.