Cruise Line Sued in Wrongful Death Case

The fiancée of a man who died on a cruise ship has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Royal Caribbean, alleging the company negligently served him at least 33 alcoholic drinks and was liable for his death after crew members tackled him and restrained him with their full body weight.

Connie Aguilar’s lawsuit, filed on behalf of 35-year-old michael Virgil, seeks unspecified damages and a jury trial. Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Aguilar and Virgil were on a roundtrip voyage from Los Angeles to Ensenada, Mexico, with family members, including their son, when Virgil died in December 2024, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claims crew members on the Navigator of the Seas served Virgil more than two dozen drinks. He afterward became lost and agitated while attempting to find his room. Crew members then tackled him and stood on him, applying their full weight. The lawsuit alleges they subjected him to prolonged prone restraint, compressing his back and torso and impairing his breathing.

At the captain’s request, crew members administered a sedative and sprayed him with pepper spray, the lawsuit states.

This treatment led to respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, and Virgil’s death, the lawsuit continues.