Gavigan v. Celebrity Cruises Inc.

843 F. Supp. 2d 1254, 2011 WL 7139353, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 152491
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedOctober 12, 2011
DocketCase No. 11-21460-CIV
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 843 F. Supp. 2d 1254 (Gavigan v. Celebrity Cruises Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gavigan v. Celebrity Cruises Inc., 843 F. Supp. 2d 1254, 2011 WL 7139353, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 152491 (S.D. Fla. 2011).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO DISMISS

PATRICIA A. SEITZ, District Judge.

This case involves an illness resulting in death during a pleasure cruise. Joseph Gavigan, Jr., a passenger aboard the cruise ship Solstice, allegedly contracted Norovirus and died while aboard that vessel. The personal representative of the estate has filed suit and asserts three claims under the Death On the High Seas Act (“DOHSA”), 46 U.S.C. § 80302 and one claim for negligence under Maltese law. Currently before the Court is Celebrity’s Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint [DE-13]. Celebrity seeks to dismiss any claim for damages on behalf of adult children, claims that would hold Celebrity liable for the shipboard doctors’ acts and the Maltese law claim. Having reviewed the parties’ papers and the applicable law, the Court will grant the motion to dismiss as follows.

I. Background Facts

While Plaintiff does not allege many specific facts about the events underlying the suit, the following are alleged and accepted as true for the purposes of resolving Celebrity’s motion. On January 16, 2011, the Solstice, a vessel registered under the laws of Malta, departed Ft. Lauderdale. Am. Compl., at ¶ 31. At some point during the voyage, an unnamed passenger with symptoms of Norovirus sought treatment from an unnamed doctor. Id. The doctor “inappropriately prescribed Imodium” to that passenger, which caused this passenger to become more ill. Id. Later, on January 23, 2011, after returning to port, the patient was hospitalized. Id. This “instance of improper medical care” was allegedly reported to Celebrity, but the pleadings fail to provide any further information on this issue.

Seven days later, on January 30, 2011, Joseph Gavigan, Jr., boarded the Solstice in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Id. at ¶¶ 9-12. Although a number of passengers on, the cruise immediately preceding Gavigan’s contracted Norovirus and/or displayed Norovirus symptoms while onboard the Solstice, Celebrity failed to perform the following acts prior to Gavigan’s voyage: (1) screen passengers and crew members boarding the vessel to exclude those with Norovirus symptoms; (2) sanitize/disinfect Solstice’s common areas and his cabin; (3) sanitize/disinfect plates, cups, food trays, utensils, ice machines and drinking fountains; (4) educate Gavigan on what precautions to take to lessen exposure to Norovirus; and (5). warn Gavigan of the health risks associated with Norovirus. Id. at ¶ 23(a)-(c), (f) and (g).

During Gavigan’s voyage, a Norovirus outbreak occurred on the Solstice. Id. at ¶ 14. Celebrity allegedly failed to quarantine passengers and crew members infected with Norovirus or exhibiting symptoms of Norovirus. On February 3, 2011, Gavigan became severely ill with Norovirus requiring immediate medical attention. Id. at ¶ 15. Gavigan reported his illness to Celebrity “and was provided limited medical treatment on board the vessel.” Id. at ¶ 16. The Amended Complaint asserts that the “ship’s doctor ordered a course of treatment that was medically improper and caused [Gavigan’s] condition to worsen.” Id. at ¶ 17. Celebrity also failed to provide a medical facility large enough for Gavigan to be closely monitored by the ship’s personnel. Id. at 123(h). Gavigan died on February 5, 2011, allegedly as a [1258]*1258result of the Norovirus he contracted on the Solstice. Id. at ¶ 18.

II. Admiralty Jurisdiction

Plaintiff advances three separate DOHSA claims — Negligence (Count I). Negligent Selection of Doctors (Count II) and Negligence — Apparent Agency (Count III). In Count IV of the Amended Complaint, Plaintiff seeks to recover for negligence under Chapter 16, § 1046 of the Maltese Civil Code. Am. CompL, ¶ 26. Although the parties agree admiralty jurisdiction applies here, the Court “has an independent duty to ensure admiralty jurisdiction exists before applying admiralty law.” Doe v. Celebrity Cruises, Inc., 394 F.3d 891, 900 (11th Cir.2004)

The United States Constitution confers federal courts with the authority to hear “all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction.” U.S. Const, art. Ill, § 2. “Congress has embodied that power in a statute,” Jerome B. Grubart, Inc. v. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., 513 U.S. 527, 531, 115 S.Ct. 1043, 130 L.Ed.2d 1024 (1995), affording district courts original jurisdiction over “[a]ny civil case of admiralty or maritime jurisdiction, saving to suitors in all cases all other remedies to which they are otherwise entitled,” 28 U.S.C. § 1333(1). “[A] party seeking to invoke federal admiralty jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1333(1) over a tort claim must satisfy the conditions both of location and of connection with marine activity.” Grubart, 513 U.S. at 534, 115 S.Ct. 1043. The connection test is easily satisfied as Celebrity, a cruise ship operator, engages in maritime commerce. See Doe, 394 F.3d at 900 (“[T]he cruise line industry is maritime commerce!.]”). The location test is also satisfied because the tort here occurred on navigable water. Grubart, 513 U.S. at 534, 115 S.Ct. 1043. Admiralty jurisdiction therefore exists.

III. Choice of Law — Dismissal of Maltese Law Claim

Generally, when a plaintiffs claims support admiralty jurisdiction, the court will apply federal admiralty law. See Doe, 394 F.3d at 902 (“[T]his Court has admiralty jurisdiction over the case ... [consequently, we apply federal admiralty law[.]”). Plaintiff asserts three claims under DOHSA and U.S. law and one for negligence under the law of Malta. In response to Celebrity’s motion to dismiss the Maltese law claim, Plaintiff concedes that U.S. law governs his first three claims, but maintains that the Court should allow him to simultaneously seek relief under the law of Malta for the Fourth claim. PL’s Mot., p. 4. [DE-13]. To avoid dismissal of the Fourth claim, Plaintiff attempts to distinguish between Celebrity’s “negligent acts [] which occurred within the territorial waters and/or on United States soil” and those “negligent actions which occurred ... while on the high seas or in a non-United States port.”1 Mot., p. 4 [DE-13]. Plaintiff essentially argues that DOHSA governs the acts occurring within U.S. territorial waters but not the acts occurring on the high seas, which are governed by Maltese law.

Plaintiffs argument ignores the text and title of the applicable statute (DOHSA) and contradicts the allegations of his own pleadings. By its terms, DOHSA applies to acts occurring “beyond 3 nautical miles from the shore of the United States” and, as the title suggests, applies to claims occurring on the “high seas.” 46 U.S.C. § 30302 (2006). Moreover, in the Amended Complaint, Plaintiff alleged that Joseph [1259]

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Bluebook (online)
843 F. Supp. 2d 1254, 2011 WL 7139353, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 152491, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gavigan-v-celebrity-cruises-inc-flsd-2011.