Disney Cruise Lines Allows Worker Accused of Child Sexual Assault to Go Free
In 2013, an 11-year-old girl from Brazil was sailing on aboard a Disney cruise ship when she was approached by one of the ship’s crew members in the elevator. The pair can be seen in surveillance video images as the 33 year old worker forcibly kisses the girl on the mouth.
The girl informed her family, who then informed ship authorities. As the ship was still off the coast of Florida at the time of the incident, Disney officials could have immediately notified local police and had the perpetrator arrested. But that is not what Disney did.
Instead of protecting its passengers and handing the offender over to Florida authorities, Disney waited until the ship had sailed out of reach of U.S. officials before reporting the crime. The suspect, Milton Braganza of Goa, India, was eventually taken into custody by Bahamian police, and later released and allowed to return to his home.
Disney faced criticism for not promptly alerting authorities about the crime. This incident serves as an example of the ways in which cruise lines will bend, and break, the rules in order to avoid the liability for their actions.
Attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey and his team handle a wide range of cases, including but not limited to cruise ship accidents, admiralty and maritime accident cases, medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises liability, railroad accidents and car accidents. We represent victims from all over the nation, the world and the state of Florida.