MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lipcon, Margulies, Alsina & Winkleman, P.A.’s Anthem of the Seas Lawyer Michael Winkleman has filed a separate lawsuit on behalf of five deaf passengers who were aboard the Anthem of the Seas when it sailed into hurricane-force winds on a voyage from New Jersey to the Bahamas on February 6, 2016.
In February, a proposed class action lawsuit was filed in Miami federal court against Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd., for subjecting more than 4,000 passengers to calamitous weather conditions, without appropriate policies in place to deal with the impending danger. That lawsuit claims the cruise line was aware, or should have been aware, of the weather warnings before setting sail.
Winkleman explains that despite the NOAA forecast of hurricane-force winds, Royal Caribbean chose to continue with the journey, “because they want to stay on schedule, because they want to get to their ports because that’s how they make their money.” This time, however, the choice to stay on-track placed the lives of thousands of passengers in grave danger.
Now, a new lawsuit has just been filed, as five deaf passengers take on Royal Caribbean for failing to ensure that they were kept up-to-date with important safety information during this near disaster. The complaint states that Royal Caribbean “did not utilize any qualified ASL interpreter during this period of time, or any other form of auxiliary aid, to communicate critical updates to the Plaintiffs, that the other passengers could access.” Information included, “safety, storm-status, meals and delivery of water, the Captain’s Orders, and when it was finally safe to leave their cabins.”
One passenger described the experience, “like being on a roller coaster you could not get off, and without any seatbelt.” As the Complaint also alleges, the sheer terror of the event “was exponentially amplified because these deaf passengers were kept completely in the dark as to what was going on and what [Royal Caribbean] was doing (if anything) to keep them safe.”
About LMAW, PA: The proposed class action is being represented by Michael Winkleman with the Miami-based firm of Lipcon, Margulies, Alsina & Winkleman, P.A. For over 40 years, the firm has been dedicated to providing legal assistance to those who have been harmed or victimized in a cruise-related incident. The firm is nationally and internationally recognized for its commitment to bring justice to passengers and crew members.
LMAW, P.A., is handling the case with Gilbert Law PLLC, a civil rights firm based in St. Paul, MN with American Sign Language (“ASL”) fluent attorneys. Gilbert Law PLLC is committed to representing protected classes so they have full and equal access to all parts of society. Heather Gilbert is the only attorney in Minnesota that is also a court-certified ASL interpreter.
If you were aboard Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas during the February 6, 2016 voyage and would like more information, contact:
Lipcon, Margulies, Alsina & Winkleman, P.A.
Attention:
Michael Winkleman
One Biscayne Tower
2 S. Biscayne Blvd. #1776
Miami,
FL 33131
877-233-1238
http://www.lipcon.com/
