Contributors

Charles R. Lipcon

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. Read More »

Jason R. Margulies

Jason R. Margulies is an experienced maritime lawyer and an active trial attorney handling personal injury, cruise line sexual assault and wrongful death claims. Read More »

Ricardo V. Alsina

Ricardo V. Alsina is an active trial attorney, handling personal injury, cruise line sexual assault and wrongful death claims. Read More »

Michael A. Winkleman

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. Read More »

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Lonnie Kocontes claims the last time he saw his ex-wife, she had plans to get a cup of tea. The couple had been on a Mediterranean cruise ship getaway aboard the Island Escape when Micki Kanesaki left the stateroom she and Kocontes were sharing to get her beverage late at night.

What happened next still remains a mystery to this day.

According to Kocontes, he fell asleep sometime between midnight and 1 a.m. on May 26, 2006, during which time his wife had gone to get her tea. He admits to having consumed a glass of wine and sleeping pill, causing him to knock out until about 4:30 a.m., when he noticed Kanesaki was not in the room. At this point, Kocontes alerted the ship’s crew, which began an investigation into the cruise ship passenger disappearance.  The next day Italian police boarded the vessel, obtained surveillance footage from the ship and took statements of the crew. Shortly after, Kanesaki’s body washed ashore the coast of Paola, Italy.

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The clock was ticking for the Philippines, but the nation decided to issue a public apology over the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman. Taiwan’s foreign ministry gave the Philippines a 72-hour deadline, effective on Tuesday, to publicly apologize publicly for an incident that took place last week in the Luzon Strait, which separates two major fishing areas. According to the Taiwanese government, Philippine Coast Guards fired on a boat that was sailing in overlapping ocean economic zones, killing a 65-year-old local fisherman. As a result, Taiwan threatened sanctions against the Philippines.

The victim, fisherman Hung Shih-cheng, was shot dead last Thursday. The Filipino government has offered condolences to the victim’s family, but at first refused to issue a public apology until an investigation into the incident was concluded, despite what Taiwan threatened.

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Cruise vacations can be a lot of fun, but as time has frequently proven, they can be extremely dangerous as well. Cruise passenger crimes have been increasing, and travelers have to constantly be on the lookout for pickpockets, rapists, drug smugglers, and other criminals while out in foreign waters and ports. Criminals target tourists, whom they know are likely to carry cash and other valuables, and  know they can  make a quick getaway since travelers are less inclined to press for an investigation.

There have been many unsolved cruise crimes throughout the years, and while nothing can truly undo the pain and suffering felt by victims and their loved ones, the family of one cruise passenger who was murdered three years ago can finally have due justice after her assailant pled guilty in court.

Nina Elizabeth Nilssen was vacationing in Antigua with her family in January 2010 onboard the Royal Clipper, a tall masted ship operated by Miami based Star Clippers, when the unthinkable happened. Nilssen, 30 at the time, was murdered while she was ashore with her family on the island’s famed Pigeon Point Beach to celebrate the wedding of her sister, Liv Nilssen.

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A few months ago our cruise ship lawyers reported on a major concern that has been surrounding the cruise line industry for many years – wastewater – and subsequent bills that have been introduced to provide leniency for the cruise industry when it comes to their sewage and waste emissions. Although media sources have been focusing on the number of accidents that have befallen the industry as of late, including the Carnival Triumph fire and most recently, the tragic incident in Australia involving two passengers who went overboard from the Carnival Spirit, wastewater has always been a problem for the industry, but one environmental leader in Alaska seems to believe cruise lines are finally cleaning up their act – literally.

According to the state official in charge of water quality, cruise lines have been taking the necessary steps to limit the impact their vessels have on the environment and have made considerable changes in the last fifteen years to reduce toxins in wastewater emissions.

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Our cruise accident attorneys have reported on a slew of maritime mishaps that have occurred this year, which have been raising concerns for travelers across the country. While cruise injuries, illnesses and crimes are not unheard of, in just the first five months of the year, four passengers have already gone overboard, thousands have contracted life-threatening illnesses, dozens have been killed, and countless others have been robbed at gunpoint.

The Carnival Triumph fire in February, which led over 4,000 people to suffer five long days at sea without any power, working toilets and some of the most deplorable conditions ever reported on a ship, started the year off on a bad note for the cruise industry. Then, just weeks later, other Carnival vessels, the Dream, Elation, and Legend, all experienced mechanical problems that forced itineraries to be delayed or cancelled.

Although cruise travel is extremely popular both here in the U.S. and abroad, we can’t help wonder whether the industry has the same appeal it used to.

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There has been a lot of talk regarding cruise ship accidents and crimes lately, with some of the world’s leading liners like Carnival Cruise Line making headlines for disastrous passenger injuries and an overall disregard of maritime safety. However, it is important not to lose focus on boating safety as well. Boating season is upon us and our boat accident lawyers warn those with a love for the water and adventure to exercise extreme caution while enjoying themselves . Boating can be a lot of fun, but it can also  be very dangerous. Between drunk operators, inexperienced pilots and a slew of other safety violations that are frequently committed, like speeding, boaters are at high risk for serious injuries.

Just yesterday, an evening boat ride proved fatal for two people, after the vessel they were riding in crashed into a docked house boat on Grand Lake in Oklahoma. The victims, Rachel Swetnam of Grove, OK and William (Trey) Varner, of Texarkana, AK were both students at the University of Arkansas. Swetnam was set to graduate next year.

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Are cruise vacations really safe? That’s a question our cruise accident attorneys often ponder following what seems to be a never-ending string of maritime incidents both at sea and in port. Just a few weeks ago, we reported about increasing crime in the Bahamas and how cruise passengers should be wary when visiting the island nation. Now, after the death of an American sailor, we advise that travelers be extremely cautious when calling on the Bahamas to avoid any life-threatening situations.

The seaman was shot to death in Nassau over the weekend while attempting to help a female tourist who was being mugged. Victim Kyle Bruner had been working as a private sailor aboard a tall ship that was docked in port when he witnessed a woman being mugged for her jewelry and tried to stop the crime.

Bruner’s relatives are suffering with his loss, but say they are not the least bit surprised by his heroic efforts.

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Our cruise ship accident lawyers have just been informed of a critical update in the case of two cruise passengers who went overboard from a Carnival vessel last week. According to the latest reports, the victims appeared to have been fighting just moments before disappearing into the dark waters surrounding Australia.

Paramedic Paul Rossington, 30, and his girlfriend Kristen Schroder, 26, were sailing onboard the Carnival Spirit with family and friends on a 10-day itinerary when tragedy occurred. The couple went overboard on Wednesday night and after scouring a 1,360 square nautical mile area near the scene of the accident,  emergency crews have officially called off the search for the missing cruise passengers on Friday.

Although not much has been revealed about the horrific incident, what we do know as of right now is that the ship’s surveillance footage showed the couple going over a railing mid-deck around the same time. Authorities are still trying to determine whether the passengers fell by accident or jumped to the waters below, but the latest news reports may shed some light on the tragedy.

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This weekend, 48 Hours reported on the mysterious disappearance of a cruise ship passenger whose case has yet to be closed. In the wake of two other passengers falling overboard from a Carnival cruise last week in Australia, the need to improve maritime safety regulations industry-wide is blatantly clear. Yet, the case of missing passenger George Allen Smith IV remains unsolved eight years after the tragic disappearance occurred and the cruise line on which he was sailing seems to have washed its hands of any responsibility in investigating the case.

Smith mysteriously disappeared from a cruise he was on for his honeymoon cruise nearly eight years ago. This Saturday night, 48 Hours aired a special titled “48 Hours: Murder at Sea?” interviewing Smith’s loved ones and shedding new light into the unsolved case that many are calling a crime instead of an accident.

“You can’t look at the water and the sea without remembering what happened to George,” said Maureen Smith, the victim’s mother. “It’s got too many bad memories for me now.”

Smith’s family has maintained all these years that George was murdered by several men with whom George had an argument. And now, new evidence suggests there may be some truth to the allegations. A video tape created by the same men, and which has been in the hands of the FBI for some time, shows there may in fact have been a murder at sea all those years ago.

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Last week, our firm blogged about a tragic cruise ship overboard accident in Australia involving a Carnival Cruise Line vessel.  Sadly, authorities have called off the search for the two missing passengers, but although the rescue mission was ceased, this won’t be the last time we hear of this terrible incident.

The two passengers, an Australian couple, were reported to have fallen overboard from the Carnival Spirit last Wednesday. Surveillance footage showed the couple going over a railing around the same time, though it’s not clear who went overboard first. Authorities are still trying to determine whether the passengers fell by accident or jumped to the waters below.

Videos from onboard cameras recorded the pair outside their cabin when they fell over 65 feet from mid deck Wednesday night while the Spirit was about 65 nautical miles off the coast of Forster, Australia. They were reported as missing the next morning after the vessel docked at Sydney’s Circular Quay following a 10-day itinerary. The victims were identified as Paul Rossington, 30, and his 26-year-old girlfriend Kristen Schroder, both of Barraba, New South Wales state. They were traveling with family and friends, but none of their cruise mates were able to shed any light on what could have led to the tragic accident.

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