Overview
- The wrongful-death complaint, filed in the Southern District of Florida by fiancée Connie Aguilar, alleges crew overserved Michael Virgil roughly 33 drinks before a fatal restraint encounter.
- The Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled the death a homicide from the combined effects of mechanical asphyxia, obesity, cardiomegaly and ethanol intoxication, with blood alcohol measured at 0.182–0.186%.
- The lawsuit asserts security held Virgil face-down under body-weight compression, used pepper spray and administered a haloperidol injection prior to his death.
- The filing claims officers refused to return to port and stored his body in a refrigeration unit until the ship reached Los Angeles days later.
- Royal Caribbean has declined to address the detailed allegations, saying it worked with authorities and will not comment on pending litigation, while the suit seeks damages under the Death on the High Seas Act.