Family claims Norwegian Cruise employee sexually assaulted 12-year-old daughter

According to the lawsuit, which was filed in Miami last week, the girl was napping alone in their cabin when Selvam entered the room

this is why it is always best to use the deadbolt to double lock your door.

These two quotes are concerning:

Selvam, however, has since been tried and found not guilty by a jury in Miami, despite an affidavit of support filed by an FBI agent which stated that Selvam acknowledged that he touched the girl’s “buttocks and pubic region with his hand, skin to skin, while the minor victim was sleeping on the bed.”

Not guilty, even though he admitted to it? :eek:

The Herald adds that reports of sexual assault among cruise passengers is not uncommon, but rarely do they involve staff members.

Yikes. I guess this makes sense. But still sad that people have to worry about this even while trying to enjoy their vacation. Keep your kiddos close! :(

I saw this, how terrible for the family. I also don't understand the not guilty verdict either.

signed confessions can be thrown out during criminal cases for many reasons.

Not a lawyer here.

I saw this, how terrible for the family. I also don't understand the not guilty verdict either.

This is old news. The trial is over. Its just news again because its a civil case now. The title of the thread should be Family sues NCL. None of us saw the criminal case but I too scratch my head if the statements given to the FBI are correct and the jury said not guilty. Its inappropriate for staff to touch a child in bed especially their buttocks.

... Its inappropriate for staff to touch a child in bed especially their buttocks.

A room steward should never touch a sleeping person, and especially a child.

Verdict doesn't make sense. I feel so bad for the young child.

These two quotes are concerning:

 

 

 

Not guilty, even though he admitted to it? :eek:

 

 

 

Yikes. I guess this makes sense. But still sad that people have to worry about this even while trying to enjoy their vacation. Keep your kiddos close! :(

I’m surprised that an affidavit was admissible at trial; nevertheless, my understanding (I’m no lawyer) is that inappropriate touching and rape are generally different offenses.

And this is why I just shake my head in disbelief when I read threads about befriending the wonderful crew on these ships

Folks they are not all predators of course but they are all strangers...and that should never be forgotten

And this is why you DO NOT give your kids free roam of the ship nor leave them unattended

This 12 yo girl is a perfect example...well old enough to be left alone...and look what happened...through no fault of hers or her parents.

I guarantee if a parent came on these boards asking if it is ok to leave their 12yo in the cabin alone...the responses would be an overwhelming..yes..cut the strings...it's the kids vacation too you know. Etc etc

Nonsense...you absolutely do not ever put your kid (or yourself) in harms way

The 1st thing that comes to mind is...these crew members are away from home for long periods...leaving wives and girlfriends behind...so there is no chance in hell that I trust them near my kid...boy or girl...age 6 or 16....period!!!

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Umm I have a 12 year old daughter and absolutely NO. I find it absolutely crazy that other people I know think I'm too overprotective or "she's going to rebel one day" because I have never allowed my child to go to a sleepover or I don't allow her to be left home alone. Ya know...I am not judging the parents, we all parent differently. If my daughter was too tired and wanted to nap..I would have taken the opportunity to either relax with her or read a book. Being on vacation..you are still in unfamiliar places, situations, and take the opportunity to enjoy the "down time" with your kids...we rarely get that anymore with the running around with sports and school activities. I hope the girl and her family find some peace and closure.

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Umm I have a 12 year old daughter and absolutely NO. I find it absolutely crazy that other people I know think I'm too overprotective or "she's going to rebel one day" because I have never allowed my child to go to a sleepover or I don't allow her to be left home alone. Ya know...I am not judging the parents, we all parent differently. If my daughter was too tired and wanted to nap..I would have taken the opportunity to either relax with her or read a book. Being on vacation..you are still in unfamiliar places, situations, and take the opportunity to enjoy the "down time" with your kids...we rarely get that anymore with the running around with sports and school activities. I hope the girl and her family find some peace and closure.

 

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Just wondering, did you leave her at the day care on cruise ships when she was younger?

For ALL members of a jury to say NOT GUILTY one of 2 things must have happened. The defendant testified and the entire jury found him credible or "set up" by the parents. OR Something the prosecution offered into evidence was shady in the jury's eyes and the jury was having none of it. Its my experience that juries are very sympathetic to child victims. I don't like to speculate but 2 things are odd IMHO. First the statement of touching her buttocks. Could there really be some sort of logical explanation for this? Its hard to believe but I would want to know. The jury concluded the "touching" was innocent? Why did the parents leave a minor child alone in a cabin? The FBI statement that the worker asked if she wanted her room cleaned and then left but also agreed to touching. If the child was alone the worker could have done horrible things to the child but left after the child told him she did not want to room cleaned. Either a dangerous sex offender got away with something horrible or something innocent got turned into a nightmare. The jury concluded the later so I am curious. There really could be a logical explanation for this that we don't know about.

I’m surprised that an affidavit was admissible at trial; nevertheless, my understanding (I’m no lawyer) is that inappropriate touching and rape are generally different offenses.

Who said anything about rape? The topic is titled correctly as sexual assault.

Who said anything about rape? The topic is titled correctly as sexual assault.

I misread an earlier post — my mistake.

It’s still odd that an affidavit would be admitted in a criminal trial.

I misread an earlier post — my mistake.

 

It’s still odd that an affidavit would be admitted in a criminal trial.

Article doesn't say that the affidavit was admitted as evidence.

NCL must be leveraging the "not guilty" verdict in criminal trial... But we all know what happened in the OJ Simpson civil case. Really not enough information to understand why NCL is not trying to settle. To be honest...the amount the family is asking in the suit...really is minimal and I'm sure they would have settled for half of that amount if NCL made a offer.

Not guilty typically means that there was to substance to the claim. You can get just about any ambulance chaser lawyer to take a case because they know that the big companies would pay a claim vs. the expense of litigation. And they get their 60% commission from the award.

Not guilty typically means that there was to substance to the claim. You can get just about any ambulance chaser lawyer to take a case because they know that the big companies would pay a claim vs. the expense of litigation. And they get their 60% commission from the award.

Some parts of the USA limit attorney fees to somewhere between 33 and 40 percent of the settlement. YMMV

Companies/employers can vet applicants all they want, but if the employee has never been in trouble before (or been caught/charged) then his/her record is clear and the employer has done due diligence.

NCL must be leveraging the "not guilty" verdict in criminal trial... But we all know what happened in the OJ Simpson civil case. Really not enough information to understand why NCL is not trying to settle. To be honest...the amount the family is asking in the suit...really is minimal and I'm sure they would have settled for half of that amount if NCL made a offer.

Settlement often occurs just before trial. No indication NCL is not considering settlement or engaged in negotiations.

In response to leaving a 12-yo alone in a stateroom, IMO, leaving a 12-yo girl in your stateroom depends upon the maturity and behavior of the child. If it were my daughter, I would tell her to place the Do Not Disturb card in the door and double-lock the bolt on the door.

However, if she were immature, there is no way I would let her stay in the room alone. When I was 12, I used to babysit all the time for the same families, because they trusted me.

When my daughters were 12 and 14, the 12-yo got more babysitting jobs than the 14-yo. Just different personalities.

Parenting rules are not one-style fits all.

The bit about the affidavit is confusing. For evidence to be admitted in court and given to the jury it typically needs to be done in person. I’ve been involved in many court proceedings and never seen an affidavit submitted for evidence that crucial.

That makes me wonder if the jury even had that information as part of the trial.

Just wondering, did you leave her at the day care on cruise ships when she was younger?

No...we didn't cruise when she was younger. We started cruising within the last few years. She did go to the ships children's program a few times, did not care for it too much and opted to hang out with us...which is cool.

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