A Miami judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of a Connecticut man who disappeared from the cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas while on a honeymoon cruise in the Aegean Sea.

Judge Jon I. Gordon granted a motion dismissing the lawsuit filed by the family of George A. Smith IV, faulting Royal Caribbean International for its handling of his disappearance more than a year ago.

Royal Caribbean welcomed the dismissal.

"It's a setback, of course, but it's not the end," lawyer Brett Rivkind told the Connecticut newspaper, the Greenwich Time. "The Smith family isn't discouraged. Whether the Smith family won or lost, the issue is going to be decided in an appellate court."

The 26-year-old Smith disappeared from Brilliance of the Seas during the wee hours of July 5, 2005. While his body was not recovered, bloodstains were found on an awning underneath the newlywed's cabin balcony.

The FBI is still investigating.

His disappearance became a cause célèbre for those critical of security on cruise ships, sparking Congressional hearings and a federal bill requiring cruise lines to report cases of missing passengers and crimes to the Department of Homeland Security.

Smith's parents and sister believe he was murdered, and alleged in a lawsuit filed in June that Royal Caribbean tried to cover up the incident to avoid liability and negative publicity.

Smith's widow, Jennifer Hagel Smith, reached an agreement with Royal Caribbean settling any potential claims regarding the death of her husband.

But the Greenwich Probate Court, which must approve the settlement before it can take effect, still has not received any information on details of the settlement.