A Norwegian Cruise Line employee sexually assaulted an 11-year-old passenger after using a master key to enter her cabin, a lawsuit alleges

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A Norwegian Cruise Line employee sexually assaulted an 11-year-old passenger after using a master key to enter her cabin, a lawsuit alleges

Norwegian Spirit cruise ship

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line's Spirit cruise ship.

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  • A new lawsuit alleges that a Norwegian Cruise Line employee sexually assaulted an 11-year-old passenger.
  • In 2018, a steward on Norwegian's Spirit cruise ship entered a passenger's cabin with a master key after being told not to do so, touching and ultimately sexually assaulting an 11-year-old female passenger, the lawsuit alleges.
  • The passenger was then subjected to questioning conducted exclusively by male employees for around three-and-a-half hours in the ship's infirmary, according to the lawsuit.
  • Norwegian Cruise Line did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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A Norwegian Cruise Line employee sexually assaulted an 11-year-old passenger, a lawsuit alleges.

According to the plaintiff, referred to in the complaint as Jane Doe, Norwegian failed to provide a safe environment for passengers. The company did not properly screen, train, or keep track of its employees and did not give passengers a way to prevent employees from entering their cabins without their permission, the lawsuit alleges.

Read more: Sexual assault is the most common crime reported on cruise ships

In 2018, a steward on Norwegian's Spirit cruise ship entered Jane Doe's cabin after being told to not disturb the plaintiff's daughter, referred to in the complaint as Janie Doe, as she was resting, according to the lawsuit. The steward, who was around 27 at the time of the alleged incident, entered the room with a master key on four separate occasions, touching and ultimately sexually assaulting Janie Doe, the lawsuit alleges. Before leaving the cabin, the steward allegedly told Janie Doe to refrain from telling anyone about the sexual assault.

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Janie Doe was then subjected to questioning conducted exclusively by male employees for around three-and-a-half hours in the ship's infirmary, the lawsuit alleges. According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe made multiple requests for her and Janie Doe to leave the infirmary and was not permitted to do so until she "demanded" they be allowed to exit.

Norwegian Cruise Line did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sexual assault is the most common crime reported on cruise ships, according to data from the Department of Transportation (DOT). In 2018, cruise lines reported 82 alleged sexual assaults to the DOT.

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