A Royal Caribbean International passenger has launched a class-action lawsuit against the company and its former crew member after as many as 960 people may have been victims of a hidden camera in an onboard bathroom.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Symphony of the Seas passenger Jane Doe and “all other similarly situated passengers” in the Southern District of Florida on Tuesday.
His filing comes nearly a month after employee Arvin Joseph Mirasol of the Philippines pleaded guilty to producing child pornography and was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
A guest on board the ship discovered a hidden camera placed on the counter under the sink in their bathroom in February. 25 and reported it to the ship’s insurance. Mirasol, a room attendant, was detained until the cruise ship docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
According to the office, law enforcement found numerous videos of children between the ages of 2 and 17 in various states of clothing on his electronic devices. But Mirasol’s surveillance wasn’t limited to children, according to the lawsuit.
“Upon information and belief, Mirasol has transmitted and/or uploaded images of Plaintiff while naked and engaging in private activities, to third parties and/or to the world wide web, including, but not limited to, the dark web , without the plaintiff’s prior knowledge or consent,” the complaint states.
Mirasol allegedly hid under the passengers’ beds to spy on them and filmed them while they showered, the lawsuit alleges.
The suit alleges that Royal Caribbean “should have known that sexual assaults were reasonably foreseeable given the prevalence of sexual assaults on RCCL cruise ships” and that the company should have warned guests and properly trained staff.
According to the lawsuit, there were a total of 26 sexual assaults and rapes reported on RCCL cruises in 2023; and 22 sexual assaults reported on RCCL cruises in 2022. There were 131 allegations of sexual assault on cruise ships in 2023, up from 87 in 2022 and 101 in 2019, USA Today reported.
According to the complaint, the cruise line failed to inform other passengers in rooms served by Mirasol between December. 1, 2023 and February. 26, 2024. As many as 960 passengers could have been filmed, the lawsuit alleges.
“Sexual assaults, including voyeurism, aboard cruise ships are at an all-time high and must be addressed,” Jason Margulies, an attorney with Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, PA, representing the plaintiff, told Fox News Digital .
“Royal Caribbean became aware of this problem in March 2023 when a hidden camera was found in a public bathroom on the pool deck of one of its ships, but has apparently done nothing since then to protect its passengers from reappearances – like these cases. which continued for almost three months, over the course of 12 cruises, and involved up to 960 passengers, including many children,” Marguiles said.
“Who knows how many countless pornographic images of these unsuspecting passengers will circulate online forever because Royal Caribbean failed to protect their privacy and allowed Mirasol to victimize these passengers.”
Royal Caribbean International did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by press time.
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