The boater in this story is an idiot.
# 1. It is illegal to pull ANYONE adult of child ... by a boat who does NOT have a life jacket on.
# 2 Teak skiing is illegal in Calif ... I don't have the exact law with me here at work but could look it up. I do know it is a $500 fine cause I have been stopped for a variation of it. I own a large offshore racing power boat and 2 of my guests were sitting on the top of my rear hatch while I was idling. The Sheriff let me go with a warning saying that though it is highly improbable that my guests would fall into my prop ... the CO could cause them to pass out and they could fall overboard.
This case is a classic example of an unethical lawyer trying to make an easy buck.