Woman Sexually Assaulted Aboard Carnival Cruise
Sexual assaults are the most prevalent crime reported aboard cruise ships. Women and children are sexually assaulted by staff and by other crew members. When this occurs, it can be very difficult for the passengers to get their stories taken seriously. Since the cruise line provides all of the security, the company works for them. Often, sexual assaults go unreported. But they happen more frequently aboard cruise ships than they do in other locations. Part of this has to do with muddled jurisdictional issues.
One woman claims that she was raped by a staff member of Carnival cruise. She claims that she was pulled into a cleaning closet where the man sexually assaulted her after telling her she looked like his girlfriend. According to the FBI, sexual assaults are the most common form of crime that occurs aboard cruise ships. Experts believe that the rate of sexual assault aboard cruise ships may be much higher than reported. More than two-thirds of sexual assaults go unreported in the U.S. Since 2015, there have been 454 reports of sexual assaults aboard cruise ships. Many of these assaults were committed by employees of the cruise line. When this happens, you can file a lawsuit against the cruise ship to recover damages related to your injuries.
Cruise lines claim remedies are too expensive
The cruise lines have been informed, even by members of their security teams, that they could do more to protect passengers from sexual assault. Remedies would include adding more surveillance cameras and hiring more security. However, the cruise lines claim that these remedies would be too expensive to implement, leaving passengers in the dark about the dangers presented by cruise lines.
Over the past two decades, cruise lines have settled more than 68 lawsuits citing claims of sexual assault aboard their vessels. Many of these cases are settled confidentially before they reach the court, so the public often doesn’t know about them and passengers are not warned about the potential danger posed by cruise lines.
Key themes emerged from hearings conducted by Congress into the prevalence of sexual assaults aboard cruise ships. The cruise vessels lacked proper coverage from security cameras and security officers were inadequately trained in the investigation of sexual assaults. There are too few security guards to act as an active deterrent against sexual predators. The reason for this may simply be an equation. It’s cheaper for cruise lines to settle claims related to sexual assaults than it is to beef up security and increase their surveillance coverage.
For victims, filing a lawsuit is a daunting process. They have to recount the event in depositions and they are often forced to settle the case under seal. Key evidence, such as surveillance footage often doesn’t exist or was deleted by the cruise line.
Talk to a Cruise Line Sexual Assault Lawyer Today
If you have been sexually assaulted aboard a cruise line, call Miami admiralty & maritime lawyer Michael F. Guilford today to schedule a free consultation. We can help you recover damages related to the sexual assault and hold the cruise line liable for your injuries.
