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  News from Cruise Ship Report for January 2007
 
Cruise Line to Pay $1 Million to Estate of Missing Honeymooner
 

Royal Caribbean Cruises has agreed to pay more than $1 million to the estate of George Smith IV, who vanished while honeymooning aboard cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas in the Mediterranean, according to settlement papers filed Jan. 4th.

Smith disappeared on July 5, 2005 while traveling with bride Jennifer Hagel Smith. While blood stains were found on a cover over one of the ship's tenders and Smith is presumed dead, no charges were ever filed.

A copy of the settlement agreement, which still requires court approval, indicates the cruise line will pay $950,000 to Smith's estate and reimburse his widow for legal costs up to $110,000.

It also says Hagel Smith will start a fund in memory of her husband with an initial donation of $25,000 that the cruise line will match.

Royal Caribbean and Hagel Smith reached the settlement last June, but terms were not disclosed until now. In October, a Miami judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by the man's family but not joined by Hagel Smith.

In an official statement, the cruise line said: "Royal Caribbean believes the settlement agreement being submitted to the Probate Court today is a fair and equitable resolution in the tragic death of George Smith.

"We believe a lengthy and costly lawsuit would have served no one's interests, and, in the end, would not have achieved results that were as full, fair or complete as those outlined in this agreement.

"Royal Caribbean continues to convey its deepest sympathy to all members of the Smith family.

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

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