Passenger sues hotel employee for rape

• A Margaritaville at Sea passenger is suing Classica, the operator of the cruise line, for damages.
• She claims that an employee of a hotel in the Bahamas booked by the cruise company was raped.
• The woman is seeking damages for physical injuries, PTSD and medical expenses.

A Margaritaville at Sea passenger is suing parent company Classica Cruise Operator, claiming she was raped by an employee of a hotel booked by the company.

According to the lawsuit filed this month in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the Missouri woman stayed at the Wyndham Viva Fortuna Beach in the Bahamas during her cruise from Florida to the island and back.

The complaint states that Classica arranged for the passenger, identified as “Jane Doe,” to stay at the hotel in early August 2023.

According to the lawsuit, on August 6 of last year, she was followed by a Wyndham employee as she left her room at night to get a drink.

The indictment alleges that the employee then forcibly took her to the control room of the hotel theater, locked the door and raped her.

The lawsuit related to another rape allegation in a TripAdvisor review from 2016 of the hotel where a woman claimed she was gang raped by staff members the day after her wedding.

According to The Tribune, the police investigation concluded that there was no evidence of the incident.

However, the lawsuit alleged that the resort and the cruise operator “knew or should have known about this prior incident.”

She accuses Classica of not warning her about the previous allegations, of not inspecting the resort and of not ensuring a reasonably safe environment.

The lawsuit also accuses the resort of failing to provide adequate security and adequately screen its employees.

Jane Doe is demanding unspecified damages from the cruise operator and resort, including for physical injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and medical expenses.

Wyndham Hotels and Classica Cruise Operator did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

This is not the first time Margaritaville at Sea has been linked to sexual assault.

Last year, a bartender pleaded guilty to sexual assault after two women said he sneaked into their rooms at night.

Business Insider reported last year on a growing number of passengers reporting incidents of sexual assault at sea.

BI reviewed 11 lawsuits filed between 2014 and 2023, revealing the extent of allegations on cruise ships.