Cruise ship allegedly sued for storing dead body in fridge

According to several reports, a deceased 78-year-old Florida man’s body, belonging to Robert Lewis Jones was said to had badly decomposed aboard a Celebrity Equinox ship sailing through the Caribbean on 15 August 2022, after he reportedly succumbed to a heart attack, and on Wednesday, his family reportedly filed a lawsuit for $1 million (R18 million) against Celebrity Cruises.

ROBERT LEWIS JONES’ FAMILY WAS REPORTED TO BE SUING CELEBRITY EQUINOX SHIP

The late man’s wife, Marilyn, was said to had been promised by the cruise staff that her late husband’s body would be taken to the ship’s mortuary, New York Post reported. However, in the filed lawsuit, it was reportedly claimed that Robert’s body was not kept in the way that was promised,

Six day’s after Robert’s death, the ship reportedly docked in Fort Lauderdale, and to Marilyn’s surprise, she learned that her late husband’s body whom she’d been married to for 55 years had instead been stored inside a walk-in-cooler which was said to have been typically used to keep beverages cool.

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MORE ABOUT THE LAWSUIT

According to ABC, Marilyn Jones, her two daughters, and three grandchildren filed a federal lawsuit demanding to be paid for damages.

Marilyn and her family were said to believe that the way in which Robert’s body was kept had caused them to suffer extreme emotional trauma.

According to the publication, the lawsuit reportedly claimed Robert’s body had gotten bloated and turned green. The family also reportedly claimed that a long-standing family custom to have an open coffin funeral would not be appropriate.

A comment from Celebrity Cruises has not yet been made available.

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