Not Unexpected...Lawsuit

[beth4652]

Lived in CT until '89. Back then the corrupt politicians, like former Bridgeport mayor John Mandanici eventually got voted out, not indicted and forced out. And death cases without bodies involved wood chippers, not cruise ships (my sister was the paralegal on his first trial, the one with the hung jury). The Jai Alai was fixed, the drinks at Ollie Papp's saloon were cheap because they were just laundering money through the bar anyway, and no one had caught on to Stew Leonard rigging the scales and registers to rip off his own customers. The only constant is that Trumbull High is still in the state football playoffs, just like when I went there.

 

 

 

I'm always amazed at what a small world this is. We lived in Monroe from '79 to '81. We're now in a suburb of Atlanta.

[Merion_Mom]

At some point, people need to accept responsibility for their own actions and decisions and quit always blaming someone else.

As Johnny Mathis used to sing, "The Twelfth of Never." :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Grumm]

It's a crazy world when a prisoner can sue his captors when he fell during an escape attempt and broke his ankles. What next? If someone who has over-imbibed goes missing while on holiday in, let's say Las Vegas, should his family be allowed to sue Nevada? RCI do as much as any other line to ensure the safety of it's passengers and I hope that this is a salutory lesson for those people who find muster drill too boring to attend.

 

Saddened & perplexed of Scotland:(

[1corona4u]

It is my understanding that the cruise lines already do scan all the luggage. It is just that you don't see the checked luggage get scanned. Also, I believe the checked luggage is scanned by the porters, who are not cruise line employees.

 

Maybe I should have elaborated. They will be forced to scan all luggage, open, and confiscate all liquor. I know they already scan it, but to have to open it, and confiscate liquor would slow things down a lot. And they would, I'm sure, have to have their own employees doing it.

 

Let's hope this goes nowhere....

[ORANGEinINDY]

I have seen very few facts on this case, but it seems the investigation was not handled as well as it could have been. Turkish Police, RCCL, FBI all "seemed" to hope this would go away.

Possibly a lawsuit is a way to get things moving again. So... If the family is going to file a lawsuit, who do they sue? Turkish Police? FBI? I don't think so.

The family may only have unanswered questions and are trying to push some buttons to get answers. While RCCL may not have answers, they have more clout with The others that might have some access to them or the authority to further investigate them (Like Turkish Police and FBI).

While Natalie Holloway's mom was odd at times, she did many things that would not allow that investigation to die quickly. She may never get the answers she wants but she kept the story in the front of the minds of the press and therefore those investigating it.

[logan1_2000]

I'm always amazed at what a small world this is. We lived in Monroe from '79 to '81. We're now in a suburb of Atlanta.

 

I lived not too far from the Trumbull/Monroe line , near where the highway section of Rte 25 ended. Used to get our chinese food from Dragon House.

 

I still keep the weather for that area on my MSN desktop--and when its nasty there and lovely here, I pick up the phone and call my mother..."whatcha doin? really, 8 or 9 inches so far with more accumulation overnight, huh? do you have someone to shovel, I'm worried about your back...me? oh, I just took him to baseball practice...what's that? yes, baseball...hwat was he wearing?...just a t-shirt, it was about 68..."

 

On a day like today, mid-December, temps in the mid-40's, I tell the locals here that we had a word for weather like this in Connecticut..."April" used to shovel the tennis courts off before practice after school in April, I swear. Used to buy coffee 2 at a time in Shea Stadium in early season games--just to hold in my hands (I dont drink coffee) because the time and temperature sign in the distance, off the expressway said 38 degrees...

 

No, no, this thread is supposed to be about the honeymoon death and disappearance in turkey on royal caribbean and people making comments on the use of the legal system. I'm a lawyer, and I'd really rather stay out, other than say there are no winners here, and without knowing more--i really dont watch the TV reports on most of this stuff--I dont know if royal caribbean acted in a responsible manner or not. if they took reasonable steps to ensure a safe environment for their passengers, then they have not breached a duty, and without the breach of a duty, there is no liability--generally speaking (I have no idea of maritime law or if it applies) in the u.s., anyway. My practice centers on perhaps the ultimate form of assigning blame--divorce, support, custody, division of property, contempt for non-compliance with the court-ordered payments or visitation/custody provisions. We try to get people to get on with their lives, not to do things that will prevent them from ever being able to communicate w/ thier ex (when there are children involved sot hat they will have contact with the ex forever), and not to just spend money to assign blame and inflict punishment--the courts are there to provide justice when people cannot resolve things among themselves, not as instruments of revenge.:o

[Cuizer2]

Maybe I should have elaborated. They will be forced to scan all luggage, open, and confiscate all liquor. I know they already scan it, but to have to open it, and confiscate liquor would slow things down a lot. And they would, I'm sure, have to have their own employees doing it.

 

Let's hope this goes nowhere....

 

Your point is valid. However, once word gets out that liquor is being confiscated, then people will stop trying to smuggle it on board. So this should be a short term problem.

 

Mean while, what are they going to do with the liquor that they confiscate? Wait until you see all the drunk fish around the ports. People fishing will have to start using shot glasses for bait. The worm farmers will go under, taking the entire economy with them.

[Bookit]

I saw the family (and attorney) interviewed this morning on national T.V. -- I have been away from the cruising world for awhile (not by choice!), and this Board, as well. Can someone tell me a thread name where I can find "the beginning" ... of this subject?

 

Thanks.

[ORANGEinINDY]

Mean while, what are they going to do with the liquor that they confiscate? Wait until you see all the drunk fish around the ports. People fishing will have to start using shot glasses for bait. The worm farmers will go under, taking the entire economy with them.

 

And it will ALL be George W. Bush's fault.... Damn him.;)

[ORANGEinINDY]

I saw the family (and attorney) interviewed this morning on national T.V. -- I have been away from the cruising world for awhile (not by choice!), and this Board, as well. Can someone tell me a thread name where I can find "the beginning" ... of this subject?

 

Thanks.

 

SOME of it is here..http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=204223

[Bookit]

Thanks, OrangeinLindy!

[jkrislc]

I'm sure it is too, but so what? At the end of the budget period if they come in under that budgeted amount then the difference goes right to the bottom line. Just because something is an item in the budget doesn't mean that management shouldn't fight tooth and nail to not spend it.

I wasn't suggesting that they shouldn't fight it. What I was referring to was the reference that prices would increase as a result. RCI should, and I'm sure will, fight the lawsuit and or settle if they don't think they can win; it's in there interest both monetarily and from a PR standpoint. What I was suggesting is that I would not expect the prices to increase dramatically for two reasons: (1) these types of things are budgetted to some degree, and (2) RCI has to remain competitive and can only hike prices so much.

[jennew]

The only issue I have with this is that RCL should have treated the room as a crime scene. The "investigation" was careless to say the least.

[always on vacation]

If I were a lawyer, I'd be licking my chops. Can you not see how many different angles could be used against RCCL. Put yourself in the jury's shoes, a widowed bride and no answers. Sympathy, Sympathy. Why are there no answers ? Because someone dropped the ball somewhere along the line. I would almost guarantee at least some judgement against RCCL in this matter. Of course RCCL isn't RESPONSIBLE for his death, but they don't have to be to have a judgement against them. The lawyer simply has to prove that RCCL could have done more in this matter. The only way a judgement won't happen is if before the trial someone proves the wife was involved....

[imsulin2]

And don't forget...George Allen Smith's family owns a chain of liquor stores.

[Cuizer2]

If I were a lawyer, I'd be licking my chops. Can you not see how many different angles could be used against RCCL. Put yourself in the jury's shoes, a widowed bride and no answers. Sympathy, Sympathy. Why are there no answers ? Because someone dropped the ball somewhere along the line. I would almost guarantee at least some judgement against RCCL in this matter. Of course RCCL isn't RESPONSIBLE for his death, but they don't have to be to have a judgement against them. The lawyer simply has to prove that RCCL could have done more in this matter. The only way a judgement won't happen is if before the trial someone proves the wife was involved....

 

You would be surprised. Most likely this case will never go to trial. And a verdict against RCI can be appealed. Sympathy does not work to well on appellate justices.

[1corona4u]

The only issue I have with this is that RCL should have treated the room as a crime scene. The "investigation" was careless to say the least.

 

As I mentioned earlier, RCI was cleared to clean up by the Turkish police, which had jurisdiction over where the incident happened. What should they have done? Waited until they got back to the US?

 

If someone is at fault for not preserving the crime scene, it's the Turkish police, not RCI.

[1corona4u]

And don't forget...George Allen Smith's family owns a chain of liquor stores.

 

Good point, If someone needed to know when to say when, you'd think it would be someone in the liquor business.........

[Hondu]

What I have read is that the wife has been cleared by the FBI. This lawsuit will get things moving for the family.

[PhoenixCruiser]

The only issue I have with this is that RCL should have treated the room as a crime scene. The "investigation" was careless to say the least.

 

Agreed!! RCI did the same thing with Amy Bradley.

 

You all can talk crap and believe what you want since you are not affected. Good gosh, I hope that you and yours are never in their position!

 

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[terri23]

Agreed!! RCI did the same thing with Amy Bradley.

 

You all can talk crap and believe what you want since you are not affected. Good gosh, I hope that you and yours are never in their position!

 

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Why the ugly rant? :mad: And it's not too likely "me and mine" will ever get wasted on smuggled absinthe, gamble with hoodlums, get tossed overboard and then blame the cruise line.

[Alexis]

Agreed!! RCI did the same thing with Amy Bradley.

 

You all can talk crap and believe what you want since you are not affected. Good gosh, I hope that you and yours are never in their position!

 

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Hi PhoenixCruiser,

If you have read any of the updated reports on Amy Bradley, you would know that they have discovered that her parents LIED to the authorities about the last time they actually saw her.

They originally said that they left her sleeping on the balcony and went to bed. That when they awoke, she was not there and assumed she fell overboard.

Well, now they admit that they saw, and knew, that she got up around 5 AM, if my memory serves me right with the time, took her cigarettes and left the cabin. They did not tell this to anyone for a long time.

A camera on board saw her around that hour with a person walking toward the front of the ship. Then a camera shot of him returning alone later. That person said he left her there smoking.

WHY, would both her parents hide the fact from investigators about her being left on the balcony? Rather stupid in my book. That may have helped the investigation.

NOW who's fault is that? Not RCCL's.

[Alexis]

Details of Disappearance

Bradley was vacationing with her parents and her brother aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's ship, Rhapsody Of The Seas, during March 1998. She and her brother returned to their cabin at approximately 3:30 a.m. on March 24, 1998 after dancing at the ship's disco. They sat on their suite's balcony until approximately 5:30 a.m. Bradley's brother stayed in the cabin, while she mentioned possibly disembarking at Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles to purchase cigarettes. At 6:00 a.m., two other passengers on the ship saw her riding the elevator to the top deck.

Rhapsody Of The Seas was preparing to dock in Curacao's port at the time Bradley was last seen. Her family realized she was missing between approximately 6:00 and 6:30 a.m. The sliding glass door to the balcony was partway open and Bradley's shoes were found inside of her suite, but there was no other sign of her. She has never been seen again. Her parents stated that they asked the ship's staff not to let anyone off the ship once they realized she was missing, but the staff lowered the gangplank anyway. The Bradley family searched Curacao for signs of her but turned up nothing.

Authorities are not certain if Bradley went ashore on Curacao of her own will and vanished while in port or if other factors were at work. A cab driver later stated that she approached his cab and said she urgently needed a phone, but this sighting has not been confirmed. Her family believes that Bradley was coerced by unknown person(s) whom she befriended during the cruise and abducted. There are rumors of maritime pirates operating out of Curacao and Bradley's loved ones believe that she may have become a victim of the individuals.

Bradley was last seen in the ship's elevator with "Yellow", a member of the cruise ship's band, Blue Orchid. It is not known if this person was involved in Bradley's disappearance; there have been no arrests made in her case. Bradley also spent time with various waiters while on the cruise.

Authorities do not believe that Bradley fell overboard, as Rhapsody Of The Seas was extremely close to shore at the time of her disappearance. Witnesses would have undoubtedly heard or seen any accident. Bradley was also a strong swimmer and a trained lifeguard, and in any case her body was not found when the water was searched.

Investigators also determined that it is very unlikely Bradley chose to disappear of her own accord. She was a recent college graduate with a degree in physical education and was planning to start a new job at a computer consulting firm after returning from the cruise. Bradley's case remains unsolved. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance, but there is no evidence to support the theory. Bradley was last seen carrying her room key, cigarettes, and a lighter when she was last seen. She had a hundred dollars in her pocket as well.

There were possible sightings of Bradley on Curacao in August 1998 and January 1999. The witnesses in the 1998 sighting accurately described her tattoos and the witness in the 1999 sighting said she identified herself by name and asked for help. Bradley's parents therefore believe the sightings are authentic.

Bradley was a resident of Chesterfield County, Virginia at the time of her 1998 disappearance. She attended college in Longwood, Virginia on a basketball scholarship. Bradley smoked Marlboro cigarettes at the time she was last seen. She enjoys drinking Coca-Cola and Miller Lite beer and eats hard candy.

Investigating Agency

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Federal Bureau Of Investigation

(FBI)

202-324-3000

OR

Interpol

Puerto Rican Office

787-722-3045

Source Information

Missing Person: Amy Bradley

The National Center for Missing Adults

Federal Bureau Of Investigation

Unsolved Mysteries

America's Most Wanted

Law.com

MSNBC News

 

There have been so many sightings that her parents believe that she is alive. I pray that is true.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Hi PhoenixCruiser,

If you have read any of the updated reports on Amy Bradley, you would know that they have discovered that her parents LIED to the authorities about the last time they actually saw her.

They originally said that they left her sleeping on the balcony and went to bed. That when they awoke, she was not there and assumed she fell overboard.

Well, now they admit that they saw, and knew, that she got up around 5 AM, if my memory serves me right with the time, took her cigarettes and left the cabin. They did not tell this to anyone for a long time.

A camera on board saw her around that hour with a person walking toward the front of the ship. Then a camera shot of him returning alone later. That person said he left her there smoking.

WHY, would both her parents hide the fact from investigators about her being left on the balcony? Rather stupid in my book. That may have helped the investigation.

NOW who's fault is that? Not RCCL's.

 

I didn't realize they changed their story, in fact, this is the first I read about them assuming she went overboard. I still think RCI could have done a seach before letting people off in Curacao. The ROS is not that big and it would not have taken long.

 

Like others who have posted on the latest person overboard thread, if you want to get away with a crime, perhaps you should do it on a cruise ship. :(

[Alexis]

If you want some interesting reading, go to this page and you might be quite surprised at what they believe is happening to these girls missing from Cruise Ships and islands, etc. This is not just "reporters trying to sell media". This is a lot of facts that seem to add up.

Sorry, forgot this. Here is the site. http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv1-wave&p=Amy+Bradley+investigation