An Arbitration panel in Miami, Florida has ordered Royal Caribbean Cruises to pay $1,250,000.00 to a crewmember following an injury aboard the Jewel of the Seas cruise ship.
The crewmember, who is from Serbia, sustained a serious back injury in June 2008 when a crew member violently slammed a door into her back while she
Every so often, I will read an article which reminds me why I practice maritime law and represent crew members from around the world. Here is an article from Miami’s New Times about several of our clients. Although it was published several years ago, it reveals how cruise lines today mistreat crew members to try
Cruise Law News has been contacted by two passengers this weekend, inquiring about a serious accident which occurred on the Oasis of the Seas. The passengers are describing the incident as occurring during a crew fire drill while the cruise ship was at the port in Cozumel last Thursday, January 27th. A crew member was badly injured and
A 29 year old crew member died during a botched life boat training exercise in New Zealand today.
According to newspapers in New Zealand, the accident occurred when crew members from Holland America Line’s Volendam cruise ship were practicing life boats drills. One of the wires attaching the lifeboat to the cruise ship snapped, throwing the two HAL crew members into the
Today we received emails commenting on the bad medical treatment provided on board Royal Caribbean cruise ships and the recent $2,900,000 verdict against the cruise line for its negligent medical treatment rendered to an injured crew member from Nicaragua. Here are the emails:
On the $2,900,000 verdict we reported on last week: “Having worked for
Today a jury in Miami, Florida returned a verdict in the amount of $2,900,000 in favor of a disabled Royal Caribbean crew member who received terrible medical treatment after the cruise line sent her back to Honduras.
The case brings attention to the problem many Royal Caribbean crew members experience when they are injured while working for
A number of articles published this weekend reveal the plight of young women sexually assaulted on foreign flagged cruise ships and cargo vessels.
Yesterday, in Cruise Rape – Is Royal Caribbean Up To Its Old Tricks?, we reported that a South African crew member claims that another crew member raped her on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. The Captain of
A jury reached a verdict yesterday in the amount of $1,700,000 against cruise giant, Royal Caribbean Cruises, here in Miami. The crew member is a musician who slipped on stage and suffered an injured shoulder which required surgery and ended his music career.
The Miami Herald reports on the case this morning, explaing that the defense lawyers for
Cruise Critic ran an article a couple of weeks ago about the Top 10 Reasons To Cruise. I responded with my article "Top Ten Reasons Not To Cruise." I previously addressed the first six reasons not to cruise, which are at the bottom of this article.*
The purpose of this series is not to convince you not to cruise, but to educate consumers
Most crewmembers like their jobs. They work hard but take time to enjoy the camaraderie that exists between the crew. But when they bcome injured, and particularly if they are sent back home, they find it difficult to obtain medical treatment for their ship related injuries.
Many crewmembers employed by Princess Cruises have contacted us to inquire about their
Multiple news sources are reporting that six crewmembers on Celebrity’s Mercury cruise ship at the Port of Baltimore are being treated for exposure to carbon monoxide.
Fire rescue officials took the the six crew members to local hospitals.
According to WBAL TV in Baltimore, the Baltimore fire department spokesman Chief Kevin Cartwright said crews responded to the scene at
A jury here in Miami awarded a crew member injured on a cruise ship approximately $9,500,000 as compensation for serious injuries sustained on a NCL cruise ship.
Danny Simpson, a citizen of the U.K., was employed by spa concessionaire, Steiner Transocean, as a fitness instructor aboard the Norwegian Crown. In 2006, he slipped on the spa floor and
Today I received a telephone call and two emails from crew members from Trinidad, India and Nicaragua.
Their stories all sounded the same.
They worked on cruise ships as a waiter or assistant waiter until they suffered back, shoulder or 
wrist injuries. After being sent home, they had to call and email the cruise line repeatedly before a medical appointment was
A popular part of Cruise Law News is the monthly "Worst Cruise Line in the World" award. This is a special award, reserved only for the cruise line which demonstrates the worst treatment of passengers, crew members, and the environment.
And the Winner for October Is . . . Royal Caribbean Cruises.
A Little Background Info on Royal
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
In April 2008, I attended the Congressional Victim’s Rights Awards Caucus Ceremony in Washington, D.C. One of my clients and good friends, Laurie Dishman, was being 
honored by the Caucus. Ms. Dishman had been raped on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. The cruise line mistreated her following the shipboard crime.
Ms. Dishman became a zealous advocate for rape victims after experiencing first-hand how the cruise line treated
In 2004, The Miami New Times interviewed me as part of an investigation into how cruise lines treat their crew members once they become ill or injured. The article was entitled "Screwed If By Sea – Cruise Lines Throw Workers Overboard When It Comes to Providing Urgent Medical Care."
The article focused on
