clm mgr has it correct. The cruise line bypassed the headline-grabbing parents and sister (also an attorney) and made settlement with the grieving widow (of five days). She was the legal administratix of the estate and in settling, they shut down all additional litigation against the cruise line.
Case closed. Widow – one
Parents – zero
Cruise line – grand slam.
Wes
The story, as I recall, was that both Mr. & Mrs. Smith had a lot to drink. Mr. Smith befriended some men who accompanied him to his cabin while his wife was elsewhere. Speculation was that he may have been assaulted or murdered by these men (with or without the knowledge of his wife). He may have committed suicide or accidentally fell overboard. If you can’t prove murder then certainly his drunken state contributed significantly to the other possibilities. If you sold him the liquor, $1 million plus seems like a reasonable solution to the dilema.
Interestingly, the Smiths smuggled a great deal of their own contraband liquor onto the ship. But as with hand grenades and horseshoes, being close really counts – Ms. Smith was found passed out on the other side of the ship when her husband fell or was tossed overboard from their suite balcony. (Witnesses heard yelling, a loud thump and blood was discovered on a lifeboat beneath the balcony.)
What is “creepy” is the fact that cruise lines still are not obliged to report crimes that occur on board. As a result, there are no accurate statistics on the crimes that occur – like rape and disappearances. I agree with Wes that this one was a big win for the cruise lines. Even the hearings last year by the U.S. House Transportation maritime subcommittee, where cruise ship crime victims recounted “horror stories of inept investigations and injustice”, according to media reports, seems to have gained little in the way of oversight. This seems to be mainly because, as one report stated, “many crimes are committed on cruises while the ships are traveling outside the 20-kilometre-wide U.S. territorial limits. The vast majority of ships fly under foreign flags, such as the Bahamas or Panama, and therefore aren’t under U.S. jurisdiction once they leave U.S. waters. What’s more, U.S. authorities can’t often board the ships without permission.” And, “… Rep. Doris Matsui… contended that some cruise lines have been misleading in disclosing crime data. She said cruise industry executives testified to Congress last year that Royal Caribbean reported 66 cases of sexual assault between 2003 and 2005. Documents released in connection with a civil lawsuit show that number was actually much higher, over 250, Matsui said.” Makes one wonder what else they are hiding…
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That’s quite funny! Maybe he met a local person that he wanted to be with instead and made himself disappear.
clm mgr has it correct. The cruise line bypassed the headline-grabbing parents and sister (also an attorney) and made settlement with the grieving widow (of five days). She was the legal administratix of the estate and in settling, they shut down all additional litigation against the cruise line.
Case closed. Widow – one
Parents – zero
Cruise line – grand slam.
Wes
The story, as I recall, was that both Mr. & Mrs. Smith had a lot to drink. Mr. Smith befriended some men who accompanied him to his cabin while his wife was elsewhere. Speculation was that he may have been assaulted or murdered by these men (with or without the knowledge of his wife). He may have committed suicide or accidentally fell overboard. If you can’t prove murder then certainly his drunken state contributed significantly to the other possibilities. If you sold him the liquor, $1 million plus seems like a reasonable solution to the dilema.
Interestingly, the Smiths smuggled a great deal of their own contraband liquor onto the ship. But as with hand grenades and horseshoes, being close really counts – Ms. Smith was found passed out on the other side of the ship when her husband fell or was tossed overboard from their suite balcony. (Witnesses heard yelling, a loud thump and blood was discovered on a lifeboat beneath the balcony.)
So, AA, only a murderess would keep her “maiden” name? Wow.
What is “creepy” is the fact that cruise lines still are not obliged to report crimes that occur on board. As a result, there are no accurate statistics on the crimes that occur – like rape and disappearances. I agree with Wes that this one was a big win for the cruise lines. Even the hearings last year by the U.S. House Transportation maritime subcommittee, where cruise ship crime victims recounted “horror stories of inept investigations and injustice”, according to media reports, seems to have gained little in the way of oversight. This seems to be mainly because, as one report stated, “many crimes are committed on cruises while the ships are traveling outside the 20-kilometre-wide U.S. territorial limits. The vast majority of ships fly under foreign flags, such as the Bahamas or Panama, and therefore aren’t under U.S. jurisdiction once they leave U.S. waters. What’s more, U.S. authorities can’t often board the ships without permission.” And, “… Rep. Doris Matsui… contended that some cruise lines have been misleading in disclosing crime data. She said cruise industry executives testified to Congress last year that Royal Caribbean reported 66 cases of sexual assault between 2003 and 2005. Documents released in connection with a civil lawsuit show that number was actually much higher, over 250, Matsui said.” Makes one wonder what else they are hiding…