According to the Advocate.com, a board member of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ("GLAAD") died of a "heart attack," allegedly due to drug use, while on the Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas. Mr. Spencer Yu, a Los Angeles attorney, died after suffering a heart attack on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship which was chartered
Royal Caribbean Takes Delivery of “Monster of the Seas”
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas coming to a port near you . . .
HOLY CRAP!!!
Here’s my take: Monster of the Seas – a Cruise Line Only Gordon Gekko Could Love . . .
Photo credit:
Oasis of the Seas DailyMail.co.uk "Inside the world’s biggest and most expensive ever cruise ship, the £810million Oasis of
Federal Agencies Concerned About Cruise Sewage
This morning I read an interesting article regarding the cruise industry’s nasty practice of dumping raw sewage just three miles offshore and, sometimes, in state waters.
Fox News ran an article entitled "Federal Agencies Raise Alarm About Cruise Dumping." Its "fair and balanced" report included some disturbing facts:
"Raw sewage contains disease pathogens and toxins, impairs the respiratory
Unsafe on the “Love Boat?” – Sexual Assaults on Princess Cruise Ships
Most passengers don’t realize the danger which women and children face on cruise ships. For example, who would think that they are at risk of being raped on the cruise line featured in the popular television series the "Love Boat?"
The "Love Boat" – Carefree, Romantic Cruises
Princess Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Santa Clarita, California. It
Miami Herald: Asleep at the Wheel Regarding the Cruise Industry
On Friday, the United States House of Representatives passed landmark legislation requiring cruise ships to promptly report crimes at sea to the United States Coast Guard and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Newspapers throughout the United States covered the historic legislation which finally brought some long overdue accountability to the cruise industry. And, as usual, the Miami
Cruise Safety Bill Heartens Greenwich Victim’s Family
In a previous article "Congress Passes Cruise Crime Bill," I thanked the International Cruise Victims (ICV) organization for their efforts in enacting the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009. I also thanked Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) for her leadership in enacting this ground breaking bill. Congresswoman Matsui has been working on this legislation for the past
Another Crew Member Arrested for Child Pornography
Canadian Border Patrol arrested another crew member after finding child pornography on his cell phone. NCL crew member Menandro Lim Lanzar, age 31, from the Philippines was arraigned in Halifax on a charge of importing child pornography.
Mr. Lanzar is employed as a quarter master on the NCL cruise ship Norwegian Jewel.
Canada’s Chronicle Herald reported on the incident is a
Congress Passes Cruise Crime Law
Today, the House of Representatives passed the Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act of 2009. This is a remarkable event. For the first time in the history of the cruise industry, cruise lines are now required to report crimes which occur on cruise ships to the U.S. Coast Guard and the FBI. There has been an epidemic of
Cruise Industry Tries to Kill Amendment to Death on the High Seas Act
Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) has introduced an amendment to the Death on the High Seas Act ("DOHSA") to permit families to recover reasonable compensation when a loved one dies in international waters.
DOHSA Is Unfair to Passengers
As matters now stand, a cruise line is the only place in the world where a child or a retired
Hung Jury in Dianne Brimble Cruise Death Trial
Today, the Court dismissed the jury in the Dianne Brimble trial in Australia after it deadlocked on one of two remaining charges against P & O passenger Mark Wilhelm.
The prosecution originally brought three charges against defendant Wilhelm for his involvement in the drugging death of Ms. Brimble on the P & O cruise ship Pacific Sky: (1) supplying
Jury Reaches Partial Verdict in Dianne Brimble Case
ABC News reports that an Australian jury in the trial of cruise passenger Mark Wilhelm, accused of killing Dianne Brimble aboard a P & O cruise ship, has reached an unanimous verdict on one of two charges.
The prosecution charged defendant Wilhelm with manslaughter and "supplying a prohibited drug" (the date rape drug, GHB).
We have discussed this case in previous blogs:
Senator Al Franken Cross Examines Corporate Lawyer Regarding “Arbitration” of Rape Victims’ Rights
In a previous article entitled "Arbitration" – Stripping Rape Victims of their Rights," I discussed the sleazy tactics of some corporations who try to take away rape victims’ rights by forcing them into "binding mandatory arbitration."
Haliburton/KBR tried to force its employee, Jamie Leigh Jones, into arbitration after she was drugged and gang raped in
Sexual Assault of Children on Cruise Ships – A Problem the Cruise Community Wants to Forget
Two stories hit the internet this weekend regarding children being raped on cruise ships.
12 year Old Raped On Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas
The first article involves allegations that an adult passenger drugged and raped a 12 year old girl 
who was sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas. The complaint alleges that the adult
Cruise Ships & Drug Smuggling
Cruise ships are routinely used by both passengers and crew members to smuggle drugs. Two recent newspaper articles from the Royal Gazette in Bermuda point this out.
Today, the newspaper reports that a passenger aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Norwegian Dawn was sentenced to seven years in prison in Bermuda for smuggling 5,048 grams of marijuana, with a street value
Lawyers USA Article Regarding Cruise Ship Litigation Features Firm, Clients & Friends
Lawyers USA (@LawyersUSA) just published an interesting article entitled "Federal Cruise Ship Bill Pending in Congress but Plaintiff’s Lawyers Say Measure doesn’t Hold Water." Written by Sylvia Hsieh, the article discusses what’s new in the specialized field of cruise ship litigation.
The article features our firm and our clients and friends.
Cruise Crime
The article first mentions
Existentialism and An Alaskan Voyage Aboard Princess Cruises’ Sapphire Princess
I’ll admit it. David Foster Wallace’s "A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again" is one of the funniest, albeit most cynical, books ever written about the cruise industry. So when I read Benjamin Errett’s recent article in Canada’s National Post entitled "The Indignity of Weak Coffee – A Deeply Cynical Account of an Alaskan Cruise," I
Dianne Brimble and the Lessons to Teach Our Young Men
The jury remains out on the trial of cruise passenger Mark Wilhelm who is accused of killing fellow passenger, Dianne Brimble, on the P & O Cruises’ Pacific Sun by supplying her with the date rape drug fantasy.
We have commented on the case, explaining the risk of date rape drugs and the "crawfishing" testimony of Wilhelm’s cruise buddies Dragan Losic and
Eleven Cruise Passengers Robbed in Nassau
The Tribune newspaper in the Bahamas reports that 2 "vicious robbers" held a group of 11 terrified tourists at gunpoint and robbed them of cash and their possessions.
The victims are reported to be U. S. citizens from from a cruise ship which docked at at Prince Charles Wharf.
The cruise passengers took taxis for a tour of what is called the "old Bahamas"