Man on Royal Caribbean cruise died after being served 33 drinks, lawsuit claims
The lawsuit states that Virgil was detained following a drunken outburst in which he allegedly attacked crew members
A Royal Caribbean cruise passenger’s death has been ruled a homicide, after an investigation found he was allegedly served 33 alcoholic drinks at the ship’s bar in the hours leading up to his death.
Michael Virgil, 35, was served more than three dozen alcoholic drinks at one of the ship’s bars on the day he died in custody in December 2024, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his fiancé and obtained by TMZ.
In 2024, Virgil's family alleged that he was injected with a sedative which caused his death.
A year later, the family has reiterated that claim in the new lawsuit, stating that Virgil’s official cause of death has since been changed to homicide, according to court documents, the report added.
Virgil had boarded the Mexico-bound cruise with his fiancé and their 7-year-old autistic son.
What does the lawsuit say?
The lawsuit states that Virgil was detained following a drunken outburst in which he allegedly attacked crew members and threatened to kill both staff and passengers onboard, according to the report.
He died within hours of being restrained and taken into custody by cruise ship security, the legal filing says.
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33 drinks, death and a lawsuit
Crew members allegedly directed them to a bar, where they stayed for some time.
When their son became restless, Virgil’s fiancé took him to check on their cabin, while Virgil remained at the bar.
It was during this period that Virgil was allegedly served the alcohol, the lawsuit claims. He later became enraged after leaving the bar heavily intoxicated and was unable to locate his room.
Video footage from the cruise reportedly shows Virgil attempting to batter down a door after allegedly assaulting crew members and threatening passengers, according to the report.
After he was detained, his fiancé alleged that “the excessive force and fatal actions taken by crew members including security and medical personnel”, who allegedly “administered an injection of a sedative medication, Haloperidol, and used multiple cans of pepper spray” led to his death, according to the lawsuit.
Virgil died of “significant hypoxia and impaired ventilation, respiratory failure, cardiovascular instability and ultimately cardiopulmonary arrest, leading to his death which has been ruled a homicide,” the lawsuit states.
