A Royal Caribbean cruise passenger who died aboard a ship last year after an altercation with staff was served 33 alcoholic drinks on the night of his death, according to a new lawsuit filed by the man’s family.
Passenger Michael Virgil, 35, was detained by security in December last year after he allegedly physically assaulted crew members and threatened other passengers in a drunken rage aboard the Navigator of the Seas.
New accusations about the events leading up to his death say cruise ship staff “negligently” over-served Virgil alcoholic drinks “in a matter of hours,” while he was clearly intoxicated, according to court documents filed in Miami, where the cruise company is based, CBS News reported.
In a screengrab from video supplied to Fox 11, Michael Virgil appears to try to kick down a door where a Royal Caribbean staff member was allegedly hiding.
Fox 11
Virgil was on the cruise, which left from Los Angeles, with his fiancée, Connie Aguilar, and their son, who was seven at the time of the incident.
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According to the lawsuit, he became agitated after getting lost while trying to locate his cabin. He was confronted by security staff who reportedly tackled him to the ground, subduing him “with their full body weight.”
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In video footage obtained by Fox, Virgil appeared to attempt to kick down a door to a room where a crew member was hiding, screaming profanities, before being held down by security.
At the request of the captain, Royal Caribbean crew also injected Virgil with haloperidol, a medical-grade substance used to treat psychosis. Virgil was also pepper-sprayed, the lawsuit says.
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The father “ultimately died in the care of Royal Caribbean staff and crew members,” it added.
Lawyers said that despite having the right to refuse service to visibly intoxicated passengers, cruise ship staff did not and in doing so, failed to protect Virgil’s life. The case also claims that the cruise purposefully pushes “all you can drink” packages on customers and lines its Navigator of the Seas ships with bars.
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Additional allegations claim that Royal Caribbean displayed negligent training and hiring practices, including of medical and security staff, which lawyers say contributed to Virgil’s death.
In a statement given shortly after the incident, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said an investigation was ongoing: “We are saddened by the passing of one of our guests. We offered support to the family and are working with authorities on their investigation.”
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This is the second recent lawsuit brought against Royal Caribbean involving a death and the overconsumption of alcohol.
In October last year, a 66-year-old woman died from falling overboard on a Taylor Swift-themed cruise after staff kept serving her alcohol despite showing clear signs of intoxication, her family claimed in a lawsuit.
“Royal Caribbean didn’t just sell drinks—it sold danger,” the plaintiffs’ lawyer Spencer Aronfeld said.
“This isn’t an accident; it’s an industry pattern. We’re putting the cruise lines on notice: the days of profiting from over-service while passengers die at sea are over.”
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