Entertainment
Cruise Passenger Death Ruled Homicide, Family Says He Was Served 33 Drinks
Royal Caribbean Cruise
Dead Guest Served 33 Drinks, Suit Says
… Fiancée Sues Following Homicide Ruling
Published
The family of Michael Virgil — the man who died on a Royal Caribbean Cruise last year after trying to beat down a door onboard — are suing the company they believe is responsible … in part, for giving him too much alcohol.
In court papers, obtained by TMZ … Michael’s fiancée, Connie Aguilar, is going after one of the world’s largest cruise line companies for allegedly serving him “at least 33 alcoholic beverages” before his untimely death.
According to the lawsuit, when Michael and Connie boarded the ship with their 7-year-old son, they found out their room wasn’t ready. The suit claims they were then directed to a bar area while they waited, but after a long period of time, their son — who has autism — grew impatient. To calm their young child, Connie took him to check on the cabin’s status, leaving Michael at the bar.
During this time, the docs allege, Michael was served dozens of drinks before he went off to look for their room. The ship was traveling from Los Angeles to Ensenada, Mexico.
The lawsuit claims, in his intoxicated state, Michael’s search was fruitless, which made him agitated to the point where he started trying to break down doors and even took his shirt off.
There’s video of this online, which appears to show Michael in the middle of his tirade when security swarmed in to subdue him.
According to the docs, Michael fell victim to “the excessive force and fatal actions taken by crew members including security and medical personnel” who “administered an injection of a sedative medication, Haloperidol, and used multiple cans of pepper spray.”
The filing alleges those actions caused “significant hypoxia and impaired ventilation, respiratory failure, cardiovascular instability and ultimately cardiopulmonary arrest, leading to his death which has been ruled a homicide.”
The lawsuit seeks damages including loss of support, inheritance, past and future earnings and net accumulations, funeral and medical expenses, mental pain and suffering, and more.
At the time, Royal Caribbean released a statement, saying they are saddened by Michael’s death — and that they were offering support to his family and authorities.
Michael was 35.