Passengers and Crewmembers Diagnosed With Coronavirus on Cruise Ships May Be Entitled to Financial Compensation
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to impact virtually all aspects of our lives, people across the country are struggling with the effects of the virus and the tragedy of losing loved ones who have become infected. This includes numerous cruise ship passengers and crewmembers who are facing the life-altering and potentially life-threatening consequences of contracting the virus, as well as families who have lost loved ones due to infections that occurred on cruise ships. Whether you were a passenger or a crew member who has been diagnosed, or you have tragically lost a member of your family, we strongly encourage you to speak with a coronavirus cruise ship lawyer about your legal rights as soon as possible.
Coronavirus Cruise Ship Lawyer Featured on CNN and in the Washington Post
There are now thousands of confirmed cases of coronavirus infections suffered by passengers and crewmembers of more than 50 cruise ships. The numbers related to coronavirus infections on ships are a significant portion of the total number of infections worldwide. Such high statistics are of great concern, not only to those who have already been diagnosed and have lost family members, but for those who still remain at risk for exposure.
In the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis, attorney Michael Winkleman was featured on CNN Headline News (HLN) and in the Washington Post discussing the risks for cruise ship passengers and crew.
As he told the Washington Post at the time:
“I’ve been contacted by crew members who are absolutely terrified of being stuck on that ship [referring to the Diamond Princess] . . . [i]n particular folks that are in the bar department that are having to clean the dirty dishware from the food that’s being delivered to the cabins.”
Data from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that the coronavirus was likely negligently spread throughout the cruise ship by food service workers on the ship. This was likely the case on multiple other ships as well.
What Should You Do if You or a Loved One has Been Diagnosed with Coronavirus Onboard a Cruise Ship?
If you or a member of your family has been diagnosed with coronavirus onboard a cruise ship or following a cruise, you should speak with an attorney promptly. You may be entitled to significant compensation, and our firm is actively representing many individuals and families with regard to filing claims against Princess Cruises (which owns the Diamond Princess) and other cruise lines. As a maritime law firm, much of our practice is devoted to handling lawsuits against cruise lines, and we have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in financial compensation for our clients’ losses.
To find out if you are entitled to financial compensation, simply contact us to arrange a free initial consultation. Our attorneys can speak with you anywhere in the world. We are happy to answer your questions, explain your legal rights and help you decide if you should file a lawsuit to recover just compensation. For more information, we also encourage you to read:
We Are Handling the Following Class Actions in Regards to Coronavirus on Cruise Ships
Our firm is handling multiple class actions on behalf of both passengers and crewmembers infected with Coronavirus aboard cruise ships. Our current class actions are against The Costa Luminosa, Celebrity Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Princess Cruise Lines. If you were on any of these ships or cruise lines and contracted coronavirus, contact us for help now.
- I was a passenger on the Celebrity Eclipse and I would like to join the class action
- I was a passenger on the Costa Luminosa and I would like to join the class action
- I was a passenger on the Grand Princess and I would like to join the class action
- I was a passenger on the Ruby Princess and I would like to join the class action
- I was / I am a crewmember on the Celebrity Cruises and I would like to join the class action
- I was / I am a crewmember on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and I would like to join the class action
Our Firm Has Filed the First Crewmember COVID-19 Wrongful Death Case
LM&W has filed the first crewmember COVID-19 wrongful death case against Royal Caribbean Cruises. Pujiyoko was 27 years old. He worked for five years for Royal Caribbean in the Housekeeping Department. He signed onto the Symphony of the Seas in July 2019. Once the novel coronavirus pandemic began and all cruises ended, Royal Caribbean failed to follow even the most basic safety precautions, such as timely quarantining crewmembers who remained aboard the cruise ships, timely providing crewmembers with masks and timely requiring them to observe social distancing measures.
Instead, Royal Caribbean allowed its crewmembers to eat in buffet settings, mandated their participation in shipboard drills, and even permitted crewmembers to attend crew parties. Royal Caribbean’s failure to protect its employees resulted in hundreds of positive COVID-19 cases and what is more likely thousands given that there is limited testing being done on its ships. Most tragically, Royal Caribbean’s disregard for even the most basic crew safety in the face of this pandemic resulted in Pujiyoko’s untimely death.
On March 23, 2020, Pujiyoko had flu-like symptoms including, but not limited to, feeling feverish and having body aches. He was diagnosed with a fever when he reported to the medical facility. Pujiyoko returned to the medical center every day for the next six days with continued fever, body aches and shortness of breath. He was not tested for COVID-19 until six days later. Finally, on March 29, 2020, he was tested and diagnosed with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). On March 30, 2020, Pujiyoko was medically disembarked from the ship and taken via life boat and ambulance to Broward Health Medical Center. By April 6, 2020, Pujiyoko was profoundly hypoxic on maximum ventilator support, suffering from a severe anoxic brain injury, and deemed terminally ill. On April 11, 2020, Pujiyoko died in Broward Hospital, thousands of miles away from his family in Indonesia.
We are honored to represent Pujiyoko’s family in this wrongful death lawsuit and we will work tirelessly to obtain justice for his family.
View Some of Our National Television Appearances in Regards to Our Coronavirus Cruise Ship Class Actions
Our Firm Has Been Featured in Dozens of News Stories in Regards to Coronavirus on Cruise Ships
- August 2, 2021 Sun Sentinel - Here’s why court may have reversed itself on COVID cruise rules
- June 25, 2021 Univision - La pandemia tiene a las líneas de cruceros ante un gran dilema cuando empieza su temporada de verano
- June 8, 2021 Palm Beach Post - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calls CDC a ‘bureaucratic virus’ over vaccine requirements for cruise ships
- May 31, 2021 The Washington Post - ‘Political buffoonery’: Cruise lines head for showdown with DeSantis over vaccine requirement ban
- April 19, 2021 The Points Guy - Will cruise lines with vaccine mandates be blocked from sailing from Florida?
- April 9, 2021 News and Guts - Florida Sues CDC To Get Cruise Ships Back On The Water Immediately
- April 9, 2021 US News - Florida Sues Federal Government to Allow Cruises to Sail
- March 16, 2021 Sun Sentinel - A year ago, infected cruise passengers foretold our future. Now, the courts are deciding who’s to blame.
- March 11, 2021 Daily Mail - Grand Princess passengers grapple with Covid nightmare one year after ill-fated cruise
- February 9, 2021 Miami Herald - Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line crew may finally get paid for work during pandemic
- September 24, 2020 ABC News - Cruise companies to require COVID testing for all passengers and crew prior to U.S. departures
- September 14, 2020 ABC News - 300,000 seafarers still stuck on ships: ‘We feel like hostages’
- June 29, 2020 NY Times - The Post-Coronavirus Cruise? Not Ready to Sail
-
June 9, 2020
- May 22, 2020 ABC Australia - Family sues cruise company arguing ‘they didn’t pay enough attention’ to 27yo son who died from COVID-19
- May 20, 2020 The Hill - Celebrity Cruises sued by passenger who got coronavirus
- May 7, 2020 Inside Edition - Crew Members Sue Royal Caribbean, Saying Cruise Line Threw Parties Instead of Social Distancing
- May 7, 2020 Time - Family of Dead Crew Member Sues Cruise Company Over Handling of Coronavirus
- May 7, 2020 NY Times - Family of Dead Crew Member With Virus Sues Royal Caribbean
- May 7, 2020 ABC News - Family of dead crew member with virus sues Royal Caribbean
- May 7, 2020 The Guardian - ‘No one comes’: the cruise ship crews cast adrift by coronavirus
- May 7, 2020 Top Class Actions - Crew Suing Royal Caribbean Over COVID-19 Failures
- May 7, 2020 ABC News - ‘I can’t live on this ship forever’ say US crew members still stuck on cruise ships
- May 4, 2020 TMZ - Royal Caribbean Sued Crew Members Furious … You Failed to Protect Us From COVID-19!!!
- May 4, 2020 Bloomberg Law - Royal Caribbean Faces Coronavirus Suit by Crew Members
- May 4, 2020 Fox Business - Royal Caribbean threw party after coronavirus halted cruises, 1,000 crew members attended: Lawsuit
- April 17, 2020 Class Action - Class Action Claims Celebrity Cruises ‘Glaringly Failed’ to Follow Basic Crew Safety Measures Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
- April 16, 2020 ABC News - Employees sue Celebrity Cruises over COVID-19 response
- April 16, 2020 Business Insider - Celebrity Cruises was hit with a lawsuit claiming the cruise line risked crew members’ lives during the coronavirus pandemic by allowing parties, mandating ship drills
- April 16, 2020 Miami Herald - ‘They absolutely did not care’: Crew members sue Celebrity Cruises over virus response
- April 16, 2020 NY Times - ‘Nobody Cares About the Little People’: Cruise Crews File Covid-19 Suit
- April 13, 2020 The Guardian - Revealed: 6,000 passengers on cruise ships despite coronavirus crisis
- April 13, 2020 CNN - Costa Cruises passenger sues company over alleged mishandling of coronavirus response
- April 9, 2020 Daily Mail - Cruise line bosses ‘concealed’ coronavirus infections and blocked TV news channels to fool passengers into thinking their ship was safe when it was actually a ‘time bomb’, class-action lawsuit alleges
- April 9, 2020 Miami Herald - Costa Luminosa passengers sue cruise company after several test positive for COVID-19, three die
- April 9, 2020 Fox News - Costa Cruises passenger files class-action lawsuit, claims company knew ship was ‘ticking coronavirus time bomb’
- April 9, 2020 USA Today - Costa Cruise passengers file class-action lawsuit alleging mishandling of coronavirus crisis
- April 8, 2020 Washington Post - Costa Cruises slapped with proposed class-action suit over handling of coronavirus aboard Luminosa ship
- February 12, 2020 Washington Post - Cruise ship coronavirus infections double, exceeding the total for any country but China
Request a Free Consultation With a Coronavirus Lawyer About Your Related Cruise Ship Claim
Have you or a member of your family been diagnosed with coronavirus? If so, our lawyers can help you recover just compensation. To speak with a coronavirus lawyer about filing a related cruise ship lawsuit, call LM&W, P.A. (877)233-1238 or tell us how we can reach you online now. You pay nothing unless we win.
Published on March 18, 2020
Categories: Cruise Ship Law, Featured
Get Free
Consultation
