Senad Djedovic, a former assistant cruise director for Norwegian Cruise Lines, pled guilty to possessing child pornography depicting a cruise passenger. The once NCL employee faces as much as 10 years in prison for having photos of an underage girl he had sex with on the NORWEGIAN STAR cruise ship.
Child victims of sexual assault / exploitation aboard cruise ships have been handed a victory in Federal Court. Former U.S. Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida now U.S. District Court Judge, Kathleen Williams, ruled cruise lines can be held civilly liable for their crewmembers’ violation of the certain federal laws designed to protect children. Originally enacted as part of The Child Abuse Victims’ Right Act, Federal Statute 18 U.S.C. § 2255 provides minors who are victims of certain crimes involving sexual abuse, molestation, exploitation and other violent acts with a civil cause of action against those responsible. The federal statute, however, is silent as to whether only the perpetrator can be civilly penalized for such violent acts against children. Given the wording of the statute, an open legal question existed as to whether others responsible for the perpetrator’s conduct may also be held liable under the statute.
U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crews medevaced a 35-year-old female Polish passenger from THE WORLD cruise ship who was suffering from pneumonia on May 25th. Petty Officer Anthony Soto stated the rescue involved two helicopters missions. The first delivered oxygen to the cruise ship and the second transported the passenger to Kona Community Hospital. THE WORLD, a concept cruise ship whereby passengers reside on board, was originally en route to Honolulu but was diverted to the Big Island. The ship’s last port of call was Fanning Island in the Republic of Kiribati.
Coast Guard medically evacuated a 67-year-old man from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts on May 21st. The Coast Guard received a call at 10:55 a.m. that a male passenger was suffering from stroke-like symptoms. A MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter hoisted the man from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship in poor weather conditions and safely transported him to Massachusetts General Hospital. There is no word on the passenger’s status at the time of this article.
Carnival Cruises’ attempt to prohibit an injured American crewmember from bringing a lawsuit under United States law and having a jury decide his case has been defeated by the Brais Law maritime lawyers.
