After TikTok couple Matt and Abby Howard received pushback from their millions of followers for showing themselves allegedly leaving their children in a cabin unattended while watching them on a baby monitor, Royal Caribbean updated its banned items list to include the devices.
“Baby monitors are not allowed to be used onboard our vessels as their radio signal could interfere with ship communication and/or navigation systems,” Royal Caribbean officials said in reporting from MSN Monday.
The controversy began when the couple, who regularly document their lives online as parents of two under 2 years old, showed a solution to the issue of attending dinner with two rowdy toddlers. The alleged solution appeared to online viewers as though the duo had decided to leave their boys asleep in separate cabins while they watched them on FaceTime and on baby monitors.
The videos got millions of views and sparked outrage online. One user called the move “unconscionable” and drew parallels to Madeleine McCann, a 3-year-old whose missing persons case caught global attention when she vanished from a Portugal vacation accommodation while her parents had dinner with friends.
The couple was quick to remedy the situation and claimed the narrative surrounding the initial video was a “misunderstanding.” What viewers didn’t see, the couple explained in an apology video later posted to their joint social media accounts, was that two family members were actually in the rooms with the boys.
Many users, however, don’t appear to be buying it. Following RCI’s update, one online user said the ban on monitors could potentially save other children whose parents might attempt the same thing and shows “a perfect example of what happens when you speak up and use your voice: things change.”
Leesfield & Partners
Children are rambunctious, especially at that age. Their curiosity drives them to climb on armoires or TV consoles, but their bravery has yet to be tested. Thankfully, neither child in this incident was hurt. In over four decades of experience representing injured clients and agonized parents, however, Leesfield & Partners attorneys have seen far too many instances when that is not always the case.
The firm’s Founder & Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, along with other attorneys at the firm, are directly responsible for litigating cases that have led to industry-wide changes in juvenile products such as high chairs and children’s All-Terrain Vehicles. The latter involved marketing campaigns from the 1990s that showed children riding ATV’s, making it seem as though the powerful vehicles were toys suitable for all ages. Mr. Leesfield took on cases from all over the United States in which children had been injured from using these vehicles, resulting in over $10 million in verdicts and settlements for the children.
In cases representing the families of children injured or killed after using high chairs, Leesfield & Partners secured a confidential settlement amount for one family whose toddler was strangled when he “submarined” beneath the tray of his high chair. The child tragically died. The company that manufactured the product at the center of the case had previous knowledge of similar incidents, over a dozen other children that had also been strangled, and failed to adequately warn consumers about the dangers associated with this product.
An 8-month-old whose parents had been given a child restraint at their baby shower was killed when an airbag deployed in a crash. The child was placed in a rear-facing position in the front seat of the car, as was demonstrated on the product’s box. The manufacturer in that case settled for a confidential amount.
In cases of children injured on cruise ships, Leesfield & Partners previously represented the family of an 8-year-old girl killed when she fell from a cruise ship balcony. The girl, who was separated from her family at the time of the incident, leaned over an inadequately installed railing, lost her center of gravity and fell.
A boy playing basketball on a cruise ship suffered a severe head injury when he dove for an out-of-bounds ball in the middle of a game and hit a steel, unpadded grommet. A multi-million dollar settlement was obtained by Leesfield & Partners attorneys after a year of litigation.
The firm also represented the family of a 9-month-old baby girl who was diagnosed with a stomach bug instead of meningococcal meningitis. Due to the doctors’ error, the child underwent multi-digital and foot amputation.
A multi-million dollar settlement was secured for the baby and her family in that case.
A 16-year-old presenting with clear signs of a stroke was misdiagnosed with a seizure disorder because cruise ship doctors decided that teens “don’t have strokes.” She was refused an evacuation.
A multi-million dollar settlement was obtained by attorneys with the firm for failure to evacuate and a failure to diagnose.
If you, or someone you know, was injured on a cruise ship, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney at 800-836-6400 for a free consultation today.