Royal Caribbean International is facing a lawsuit after the sentencing of a former crew member for video voyeurism.
The Jane Doe lawsuit alleges the cruise line didn’t do enough to prevent the actions of Arvin Joseph Mirasol who was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison this summer.
Mirasol set up a camera in a cabin bathroom and recorded the guest ‘while undressed and engaging in private activities’ during a Symphony of the Seas cruise.
Mirasol filmed several guests including children earlier this year.
“He transmitted and/or uploaded images of the Plaintiff to third parties and/or to the world wide web, including, but not limited to, the dark web, without Plaintiff’s prior knowledge or consent,” the lawsuit alleges.
It also says Royal Caribbean ‘knew or should have known sexual assaults were reasonably foreseeable considering the prevalence of sexual assaults aboard RCCL’s cruise ships,’ referring to a separate hidden camera offense on a different Royal Caribbean ship.
In this other incident an arrest was made in 2023.
The complaint says Royal Caribbean has not provided sufficient security, training or supervision to prevent offenses like this.
It also alleges the cruise line did not notify individuals who were secretly filmed during Mirasol’s time on the ship from early December 2023 to late February 2024.
The suit claims it may involve hundreds of unwitting cruise guests.
“If you’re a company that’s looking out for the best interest of your passengers, then you would certainly be telling all these people that they could be potential victims, right?” said Jason Margulies, the plaintiff’s attorney.
The cruise line responded, reiterating it ‘immediately reported this case to law enforcement and terminated the crew member.’
