A newly released audio exchange between Port Authority and Costa Concordia Captain Fransesco Schettino was released today. Below is the transcript of the exchange: Captain Schettino: It’s Capt. Schettino. Port Authority: Schettino, listen to me, there are people trapped onboard, now you go back, you will go with your rescue…
Cruise Ship Lawyers Blog
Leesfield & Partners leads the way in Protecting the Rights of Cruise Ship Passengers
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Johnson v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., invalidating releases for activities on cruise ships, which was participated in by Leesfield & Partners‘ Robert Peltz as amicus curiae on behalf of the Florida Admiralty Trial Lawyers Association, is an important decision protecting the…
Grounding of Cruise Ship in the Bahamas forcing evacuation of passengers
The disaster that shook the passengers of the Costa Concordia when the ship ran aground and capsized near the Island of Giglio, Italy, while probably the most tragic in recent memory, was not the first tragedy of its kind. In 1998, the Monarch of the Seas had an eerily similar…
Captain of capsized cruise ship detained for manslaughter and abandoning ship
While investigators are looking at the black box of the cruise ship Costa Concordia that sunk off the coast of Italy, prosecutors did not waste time in gathering facts and evidence from passengers and crew members, which have led them to arrest Captain Francesco Schettino on allegations of manslaughter and…
Alleged Rapist of Cruise Passenger Luiz Scavone held without Bail
We reported last week that, Luiz Scavone, a 20-year-old Brazilian citizen, was arrested during a cruise on Allure of the Seas. On Friday, Broward Circuit Judge Matthew Destry ordered 20-year-old Luiz Scavone to be held without bail Friday. Judge Destry motivated his decision by the belief that, if released on…
Timeline of Events of the Sunk Costa Concordia Cruise Ship Disaster
Below is a timeline of events amid the cruise ship disaster that sunk off the coast of Italy, Isola del Giglio: Friday January 13, 2012 7:00 p.m.: The ship embarks on a 7-day cruise from Civitavecchia, near Rome, with 4,229 cruise passengers and crew members on board from 60 different…
Alleged Cruise Ship Rapist Asks Judge to be Released
As we previously reported here, Luiz Scavone is facing charges for committing a lewd and lascivious act on a 15 year-old girl while on a Royal Carribean cruise ship “Allure of the Seas”. Yesterday, Scavone’s defense counsel asked Broward Circuit Judge Matthew Destry to set a low bail or no…
Raped Canadian Cruise Passenger Reaches Multi-Million Dollar Settlement
In February 2011, a female cruise passenger, Jane Doe (“JD”), boarded a cruise ship in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for an 7-day cruise in the Eastern Carribean. She was traveling with a wedding party of 25 from Canada to celebrate her best friend’s wedding which was planned to take place on…
Cruise Ship Passenger Raped Aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas
A 15 year-old girl, who was vacationing with her family on a ten day cruise that returned to Port Everglades on January 3rd, 2012, was raped by 20-year-old Luiz Scavone and another 15-year-old teenager. The young girl was lured from “Fuel”, the ship’s teen dance club, to a private cabin…
Cruise Ship Litigation – A Case Law Update
Cruise Ship Litigation and the application of the law is an ever-changing landscape. Below is a compilation of important cases recently published that have changed the law as it pertains to cruise ship and admiralty litigation: Robert D. Peltz and Carol L. Finklehoffe Leesfield & Partners Miami, Florida Robert Peltz…