Man who was lost at sea for 438 days was sued for $1,000,000 by family of crewmate for horrifying reason

A fishing trip meant to last just two days turned into a 15-month survival ordeal that shocked the world and later sparked a controversial $1 million lawsuit.

Jose Salvador Alvarenga and his friend Ezequiel Cordoba set sail in November 2012 on a small fishing boat, expecting a short trip. Instead, a powerful storm forced them far off course, destroying their communication equipment and leaving them stranded in the Pacific Ocean with no way to call for help.

According to reports, the final radio transmission from the boat captured Alvarenga desperately asking the vessel’s owner for immediate assistance as conditions worsened. No rescue came.

The two men survived for months by catching fish and birds, but tragedy struck when 22-year-old Cordoba became seriously ill. Alvarenga later stated that his friend fell sick after eating a bird that had consumed a poisonous snake. Cordoba died several months into the ordeal.

Alvarenga has consistently denied eating his friend’s body, stating that he promised Cordoba he would never do so. He claimed that he kept the body on the boat for six days before committing it to the sea.

José Salvador Alvarenga ended up being out at sea for more than 400 days (GIFF JOHNSON/AFP via Getty Images)

After drifting across thousands of miles of open ocean, Alvarenga finally washed ashore in the Marshall Islands in January 2014, having spent a total of 438 days at sea.

Despite his account, Cordoba’s family believed Alvarenga survived by cannibalizing their relative. In response, they filed a lawsuit seeking $1 million in damages, accusing him of consuming Cordoba’s remains.

Alvarenga’s attorney at the time, Benedicto Perlera, stated that his client believed Cordoba died around March 2013, though exact dates were impossible to determine due to the absence of a calendar or any means of tracking time while adrift.

Alvarenga pictured just three months after making it back to shore (JOSE CABEZAS/AFP via Getty Images)

In addition to the monetary claim, Cordoba’s family also demanded 50 percent of the proceeds from Alvarenga’s memoir, 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea, published in October 2015. The family argued that they were entitled to royalties because the story’s value depended on both men.

However, reports later indicated that the book’s earnings were far lower than the family believed.

Alvarenga also faced a separate $1 million lawsuit from his former lawyer, who claimed damages after Alvarenga signed a book deal and changed legal representation.

The case remains one of the most controversial survival stories in modern history, blending extraordinary human endurance with legal and ethical disputes that followed long after rescue.

Source: Unilad