Ms. Hagel Smith reached the agreement after her husband, George A. Smith IV, a 26-year-old Greenwich

Ms. Hagel Smith reached the agreement after her husband, George A. Smith IV, a 26-year-old Greenwich man, went missing santa fe vacation rentals discount on their honeymoon cruise. Mr. Smith’s parents, George III and Maureen, challenged the out-of-court settlement so they could file a wrongful santa fe vacation rentals discount death lawsuit on behalf of their son against Royal Caribbean.
“One thing that is clear about this case is that there are no winners,” said Judge Hopper, in his decision. “Both parties have suffered a great loss, which will be with them for the rest of their lives.”
Douglas Brown, attorney for Jennifer Hagel Smith, said she felt “vindicated and relieved by Judge Hopper’s decision. We hope that the Smith family will not pursue further litigation.” When asked why, Mr. Brown said, “Because it is emotionally draining.”
However, Mike Jones, attorney for the Smith family, said that the family is considering an appeal. “We are disappointed and frankly, very surprised, based upon the way the evidence santa fe vacation rentals discount went in,” he said. “We do not agree with the court’s findings and more than likely will be filing an appeal.”
In his decision, Judge Hopper cited the complexities of the case, in which Mr. Smith went missing on his honeymoon cruise in the Aegean Sea on July 5, 2005, after commotion was heard in his cabin and bloodstains were found in his room and on the metal overhang below his balcony. The FBI is still actively investigating the highly publicized case, spokesman Thomas Carson said last week.
“After a review of the facts, and the applicable maritime, international and domestic law, there is no way to possibly predict the result of any litigation associated with this case,” Judge Hopper wrote. “Under some circumstances, it would be conceivable for the estate santa fe vacation rentals discount to recover nothing and be in debt due to the costs associated with fully and properly litigating the issues.”
santa fe vacation rentals discount The Smiths had filed their own lawsuit against the Florida-based cruise line only a few hours before Ms. Hagel Smith and Royal Caribbean announced their proposed settlement. The Smith family’s lawsuit said the cruise line tried to cover up the suspicious circumstances of Mr. Smith’s disappearance to protect their public image.
“The cruise line deliberately santa fe vacation rentals discount and intentionally portrayed the incident as an accident, and hampered a full-blown, appropriate investigation into the facts and circumstances of George A. Smith’s death,” the family’s suit said.
Mr. Rivkind said the Smith family’s “search for truth” is an attempt to get closure for this tragedy, to find out what happened to their son and brother. That’s what it’s always been about. It’s not about money. santa fe vacation rentals discount It’s an attempt santa fe vacation rentals discount to get information.”
The publicity surrounding the case drew scrutiny to the $34-billion-a-year cruise industry santa fe vacation rentals discount and led the Smiths to co-found a cruise victims advocacy group, International Cruise Victims (ICV). The group provides support for victims of cruise crimes and attempts to raise awareness about the need for safety and transparency santa fe vacation rentals discount reforms.
An amendment sponsored by Mr. Shays, Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) to improve the transparency santa fe vacation rentals discount of cruise ship crime reporting statistics passed the House of Representatives on April 24.
The amendment santa fe vacation rentals discount to the Coast Guard Authorization Act, which passed by a vote of 395 to 7, requires the Coast Guard to maintain a numerical accounting santa fe vacation rentals discount of missing persons and alleged crimes committed on cruise ships and have the information available online. It will be updated quarterly by the cruise line.
“I am grateful this legislation will improve the transparency santa fe vacation rentals discount of cruise crime statistics and the safety of cruise ship passengers,” Mr. Shays said via e-mail. “Next step is the Senate and we’re hopeful they take up this legislation this session.”
In California, a bill that would give the state the most stringent cruise ship safety and environmental regulations in the country was approved by its Senate Public Safety Committee and is pending in the legislature. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Joe Simitian, would require every cruise ship entering and exiting a California port to have a qualified “ocean ranger” on board, similar to sky marshals on airlines, Mr. Simitian said, adding, “The cruise lines’ performance on safety and the environment santa fe vacation rentals discount is inconsistent at best.”
But Terry Dale, president and chief executive officer of Cruise Lines International Association, questioned the legality santa fe vacation rentals discount of the bill, saying “CLIA believes the bill extends well beyond California’s jurisdiction, may jeopardize criminal investigations, is overly burdensome given the track record of the cruise lines on environmental compliance and criminal reporting, and will set a precedent for conflicting state, federal and international requirements.”
But Mr. Carver said both bills still face uphill battles. The cruise industry spent more than $825,000 in the first six months santa fe vacation rentals discount of 2007 to lobby the federal government in its favor, according to a disclosure form. From January 2004 to July 2005, the industry spent $2.9 million on federal lobbying, according santa fe vacation rentals discount to the Center for Responsive Politics.
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