The family of California man Michael Virgil, who died aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise in December 2024, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the cruise line. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's report, obtained by KTLA, ruled his death a homicide with the cause listed as the combined effects of mechanical asphyxia, obesity, cardiomegaly, and ethanol intoxication.
According to a complaint cited by TMZ, Virgil was served at least 33 alcoholic beverages in the hours before his death as part of the ship's all-inclusive "Deluxe Beverage" package, and the family alleges he became visibly intoxicated, this while Royal Caribbean crew members continued to serve him more alcohol before his untimely demise when he was unable to find his cabin, thus becoming agitated and triggering a sequence of events leading to his fatal encounter with ship security. The lawsuit further asserts that security personnel used excessive force to detain Virgil, utilizing body weight to restrain him in a prone position, which restricted his breathing; multiple cans of pepper spray were also used, and Haloperidol, a sedative, was administered at the direction of a staff captain.
As a part of the legal action, which The New York Post reported, the family claims that Royal Caribbean's actions "caused significant hypoxia and impaired ventilation, respiratory failure, cardiovascular instability and ultimately cardiopulmonary arrest, leading to his death." The family's lawsuit seeks damages for loss of support, inheritance, past and future earnings, net accumulations, funeral and medical expenses, as well as mental pain and suffering.
Royal Caribbean, on their end, has so far refrained from commenting on the pending litigation, stating they worked with authorities on their investigation after Michael Virgil's death and expressing that they were "saddened by the passing of one of our guests," as they told both TMZ and the New York Post. The wrongful death lawsuit serves as a stark reminder of the potentially lethal consequences of alcohol overservice and the responsibilities of entities to ensure the safety and well-being of their patrons, especially when those patrons, as it was in Virgil's case, are inebriated and experiencing distress.
