Margaritaville at Sea passenger files lawsuit saying she was raped in a hotel booked by the cruise line

25.06.2024 - 12:21 / insider.com

A Margaritaville at Sea passenger is suing its parent company, Classica Cruise Operator, claiming she was raped by an employee of a hotel booked by the company.

According to the lawsuit filed this month in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the Missouri woman stayed at Wyndham Viva Fortuna Beach in the Bahamas during her round-trip cruise from Florida to the island.

The complaint said that Classica arranged for the passenger, referred to as "Jane Doe," to stay at the hotel in early August 2023.

According to the lawsuit, on August 6 last year, a Wyndham employee tracked and followed her as she left her room at night to get a drink of water.

The lawsuit alleges that the employee then forced her into the control room of the hotel's theater, locked the door, and raped her.

The lawsuit referenced another allegation of rape in a 2016 TripAdvisor reviewof the hotel, in which a woman claimed she was gang-raped by staff a day after getting married.

According to The Tribune, police investigations concluded that there was no evidence for the incident.

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But the lawsuit asserted that the resort and the cruise operator "knew or should have known of this prior incident."

It accuses Classica of failing to warn her of the prior allegation, investigate the resort, and ensure a reasonably safe environment.

The lawsuit also accused the resort of a failure to provide reasonable security and to adequately investigate its employees.

Jane Doe is seeking unspecified damages from the cruise operator and resort for physical injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and incurred medical expenses, among other things.

Wyndham Hotels and Classica Cruise Operator did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

This isn't the first time Margaritaville at Sea has been connected to sexual assault.

Last year, a bartender pleaded guilty to a count of abusive sexual conduct after two women said he snuck into their room at night.

Business Insider reported last year on a growing number of passengers reporting incidents of sexual assault at sea.

BI reviewed 11 lawsuits. filed between 2014 and 2023, which revealed the extent of allegations made on cruise ships.