Cruise Ship Accident Lawyer Blog
MIAMI, FL—Officials from the Broward Sheriff’s Office charged two Brazilian males, one of whom is 15 years old, with lewd and lascivious battery in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas cruise ship. According to information provided by NBC Miami, BSO and FBI detectives awaited the ship’s return to Port Everglades on Jan. 3, after Royal Caribbean officials reported the apparent cruise rape case to them.
Reports indicated an unidentified 15-year-old girl was at Fuel, a teen club aboard the Allure of the Seas cruise ship, when she met a teenage boy who invited her to his room on the basis that he was holding a party and she could meet friends there.
Upon entering the 15-year-old boy’s cabin, however, she evidently realized there was no party being held there whatsoever. In fact, the only other individual there was 20-year-old Luiz Scavone, who swiftly showed her to the bed and began attempting to disrobe her (with the help of the unidentified teen boy) against her will.
Although BSO reports suggested the teen girl told the two male cruise passengers that she had a curfew and needed to leave, they would not allow her to. The Brazilian men allegedly went on to force the young victim to perform oral sex on both of them. They then forced the girl—who alleged said “no” multiple times—to have sex with both of them as well.
Royal Caribbean officials told reporters a “guest care team offered the female guest a variety of assistance, including medical care and counseling.” Authorities arrested both suspects at Port Everglades on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the attack was said to have taken place.
Scavone is reportedly being detained at the Fort Lauderdale-based Main Jail. It was not clear if the teen suspect—whom is being charged as a juvenile—was detained upon being arrested in the cruise rape case.
According to statistics posted on the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) website, the FBI regarded sexual assault as the leading crime reported on cruise ships, accounting for 55 percent of all maritime crimes reported to the bureau.
About the Miami Personal Injury Lawyers and Crime Victim Attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.
Leading South Florida injury lawyers and cruise ship accident attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz state that ship firms have managed to avoid potential litigation through unethical business practices for years. Such practices can leave victims of molestation and/or sexual assault struggling to attain compensation for their pain and suffering. For more than 30 years, the Miami accident attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. have been dedicated to protecting the rights of travelers and cruise ship employees who have been sexually assaulted, sustained serious injury or been subject to preventable harm while aboard these “hospitable” vessels.