Charles R. Lipcon is the firm's founding attorney and has been handling injury, cruise line sexual assault and wrongful death claims for over 40 years.
Jason R. Margulies is an experienced maritime lawyer and an active trial attorney handling personal injury, cruise line sexual assault and wrongful death claims.
Ricardo V. Alsina is an active trial attorney, handling personal injury, cruise line sexual assault and wrongful death claims.
Mr. Winkleman is an active trial and appellate attorney handling all personal injury, cruise line sexual assault and wrongful death claims, as well as complex business disputes.
We previously told you about a rape that took place on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, and the verdict that came about as it was published on Royal Caribbean’s blog. When it comes to the Coast Guard and FBI databases however, it seem the crime is not mentioned anywhere. For 2012, there isn’t a single sexual assault or rape case on file aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship—why?
According to a report on Salon.com, language that was added by the FBI to a cruise-related bill has removed the need for reporting these cruise ship crimes. The bill that was initially presented is called the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010, and it was intended to regulate the cruise industry. It was also intended to give Americans pertinent information to the safety and crime rates aboard cruise ships. Now, with this incomplete method of reporting criminal activity, it seems Americans are given the opposite. An organization called the International Cruise Victims has noticed crime reporting drop off significantly in recent years. The FBI language that altered the way crimes states that crimes that are “no longer investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation” would be reported. While this should be understood as in a timely manner crimes will be documented, the FBI has taken it to mean that once a court case is determined and all possible lines of appeals are exhausted, then they will get included in a statistic. If the FBI never opens a formal investigation on a particular cruise ship rape or sexual assault, the case will never be included in crime statistics.