1. At Miami-based Leesfield & Partners, we are highly involved in cruise ship and maritime litigation. With nearly 10 million
passengers embarking on cruises from North America each year, safety is becoming an increasing concern among policy
makers and cruise patrons alike. On these virtual floating cities, many passengers feel that they have left U.S. regulations
behind, but this is far from the case. Certainly, laws regarding incidents that occur on cruise ships have been lax in the past,
with courts often favoring cruise lines over passengers. However, public outcry over prominent incidents at sea in the past
several years has increased federal scrutiny of laws guiding the cruise ship industry. I was heartened last year to witness
President Obama signing the John Kerry-sponsored Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act. The Act applies to all cruise ships
with 250 or more passengers and has numerous safety provisions requiring improved deck guardrails, passenger access to
peepholes, video surveillance systems, and emergency alarm systems. In addition, the Act establishes a protocol shared by the
cruise industry, the Coast Guard, and the FBI on the handling of deaths, allegations of crimes, and other on-board incidents. At
Leesfield & Partners, we provide counsel and representation to numerous passengers who were injured on cruises through no
fault of their own. We offer comprehensive services tailored to the numerous cruise passengers who depart from Florida each
year and are later required to retain the services of Florida lawyers in litigation cases. We have years of experience in cruise line
litigation, and we are familiar with defendant cruise lines’ strategies for discrediting passengers’ legitimate claims. Speed and
accuracy are critical in correct filing practice, as the statute of limitations for incidents occurring on cruise ships is frequently
much shorter than for other claims.
For more details on our cruise ship accident legal services, visit Leesfield & Partners online at www.leesfield.com.