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Cruise Rape and Crew Rape Law Firm In the News
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| Jack Hickey Elected to the Florida Bar’s Board of Governors |
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| Read about John H. (Jack) Hickey and the Hickey Law Firm in the news, including awards and recent verdicts he has obtained. |
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HICKEY TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS
ABOUT CRIMES ON CRUISE SHIPS |
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On March 27, 2007, Hickey testified before the United States Congressional Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation in Washington, D.C. Hickey was invited to speak before the Subcommittee by its Chair, Congressman Elijah Cummings. The topics included crimes on cruise ships. Other topics discussed were the injustices of maritime law in passenger and crewmember claims. Hickey provided a paper on these topics to Congress and it is available here. The panels of speakers on that day included Rear Admiral Justice of the U.S.Coast Guard, a representative from the F.B.I. and the CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. The Chair of the Committee promised that the subcommittee would meet again and that legislation on the reporting of sexual assaults of U.S. citizens on cruises ships would be put into place.
CONGRESSIONAL PAPER
CONGRESSIONAL LETTER |
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HICKEY TO SPEAK TO TRIAL LAWYERS ON
PASSENGER CLAIMS ON CRUISE SHIPS |
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MULTIMILLION DOLLAR VERDICT
AGAINST ROYAL CARIBBEAN IS AFFIRMED
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| Record breaking verdict for a “non-operated disc” |
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On January 16, 2008, the Third District Court of Appeal, the mid-level appellate court in the Florida state courts, affirmed a judgment following a jury verdict against Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in the amount of $3,384,185.
The jury verdict was for the personal injury of a seaman, a First Officer onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. The seaman, Goran Bakalar, suffered a herniated disc in a fall from a ladder while entering a boat. He received no surgery for the condition but could not work on a ship again. The seaman was represented by John H. (Jack) Hickey of Hickey Law Firm, P.A. in Miami, Florida. (See, www.hickeylawfirm.com).
The story starts when the cruise line required its officers to man a fast rescue boat to provide security when the ship was in the Port of Miami. The United States Coast Guard had written letters to this cruise line and others requesting that the cruise lines provide such patrol boats and requested that the patrol boats be manned with 2 people.
Royal Caribbean chose to man each boat with one person and required that its people enter the boats from a bent, broken ladder affixed to a pier at the Port of Miami. The ladder was a vertical "fixed ladder". That is, the ladder was vertical and attached permanently to the concrete pier. The only problem was that the last 3 feet or so of the ladder was bent in at a 45 degree tilt from the vertical and the end of the ladder was not fixed or bolted to anything.
When First Officer Goran Bakalar went to get into the boat from that ladder for the first time, the boat moved, the ladder moved and he fell back about 6' down onto his back. He suffered a herniated disc in his back. As a result of that injury, the cruise line said that he could not work on a ship again.
Because Mr. Bakalar was an employee on the ship, he was a Jones Act Seaman. That means that he had all of the rights under the Jones Act, 46 U.S.C. Sec. 688, et. seq. which means the right to sue for pain and suffering, and the seaman had all the rights under the General Maritime Law. That in turn means that the seaman is entitled to Maintenance and Cure. This is an old expression in the General Maritime Law for the obligation of the ship-owner to pay for the medical expenses and for the reasonable living expenses of the seaman until the seaman is declared by a physician to be a "Maximum Medical Improvement".
Here Mr. Bakalar needed back surgery, which included back fusion at 2 levels. By the time of trial, however, the cruise line had provided to Mr. Bakalar no such treatment. In fact, the cruise line contended that Mr. Bakalar did not need surgery and that the back condition was merely a bulging disc.
The cruise line fought this case for years, and would not settle. We went to trial. The jury's verdict for this injury is a record breaker. The cruise line after the verdict appealed. Interest accrued on the verdict at 9%. By the time the appellate court affirmed, the interest alone which was owed was over $500,000.00. Thus, with interest, the final amount owed after the appellate decision was just under $4 Million. The full amount was paid. Here is the opinion: |
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The Third District Court of Appeal
State of Florida, January Term, A.D. 2008
Opinion filed January 16, 2008.
No. 3D06-2960
Lower Tribunal No. 03-24475
Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.,
Appellant,
vs.
Goran Bakalar,
Appellee.
An Appeal from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Scott Bernstein, Judge.
Salas, Ede, Peterson & Lage; Hicks & Kneale and Dinah Stein and Mark Hicks, for appellant.
John Hickey; Elizabeth K. Russo, for appellee.
Before RAMIREZ, SUAREZ, and ROTHENBERG, JJ.
PER CURIAM
Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. appeals a jury verdict of $3,384,185 as being against the manifest weight of the evidence. As we recently stated in Glabman v. De La Cruz, 954 So. 2d 60, 62 ( Fla. 3d DCA 2007), “despite the fact that a jury verdict is higher or lower than the reviewing court believes it ought to have been, the court should decline to interfere with the verdict.” Unlike Glabman, Royal Caribbean has not pointed to any highly emotional testimony which caused anyone to cry. We find no abuse of discretion in the trial judge’s refusal to grant a new trial or remittitur. See Lassitter v. Int'l Union of Operating Eng'rs, 349 So. 2d 622, 627 (Fla. 1977) (stating that the court may order a remittitur or new trial if it believes “the amount is so great or small as to indicate that the jury must have found it while under the influence of passion, prejudice or gross mistake”). Affirmed.
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John H. (Jack) Hickey represented cruise lines for the first 17 years of his career. For the last 11 years, he has represented passengers and crew members in their claims against cruise lines. He is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer by The Florida Bar and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Hickey lectures frequently across the country on Maritime Law and on claims against cruise lines, and in March of 2007 testified before Congress on claims against cruise lines. He is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Law, and has been named as a “Superlawyer” by Superlawyer.com, as a “Top Lawyer” by the South Florida Legal Guide, and as a member of the “Legal Elite” by Florida Trend Magazine . Hickey is a graduate of Florida State University ( magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and Duke Law School. He is a civil trial lawyer specializing in personal injury, admiralty and maritime, medical malpractice, and commercial litigation with offices at 1401 Brickell Avenue, Suite 510, Miami, Florida 33131. Call TOLL FREE: 1.800.215.7117. Website: www.hickeylawfirm.com. |
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Congressional Invitation
John L. Mica
Ranking Republican Member
Elijah E. Cummings
Chair Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime
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Carnival Pride: Carnival Cruise Ship Slip and Fall Litigation |
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JACK HICKEY: FORMERLY A LAWYER FOR THE CRUISE LINES AND INSURANCE COMPANIES ...NOW A LAWYER FOR YOU. |
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This year, Jack was chosen by his peers to receive the following honors: |
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Board Certified as a Trial Lawyer by the National Board of Trial Advocacy |
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Jack has been Board Certified as a Trial Lawyer by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) for 2006. The NBTA is the only national certification program for trial attorneys and is accredited by the American Bar Association. Jack has been certified since 1990 by The Florida Bar as a Civil Trial Lawyer. |
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John H. (Jack) Hickey Speaks to the Coral Gables Bar Association |
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John H. (Jack) Hickey on Wednesday July 21, 2004, spoke to the Coral Gables Bar Association about maritime law and claims of passengers against cruise ships. Hickey is Board Certified by The Florida Bar as a Civil Trail Attorney and has been recognized by the South Florida Legal Guide as “Top Lawyer” in the areas of personal injury and maritime law. He is Past Chair of the Admiralty Law Committee of The Florida Bar and is the immediate Past President of the Dade County Bar Association. Hickey continues to practice maritime and personal injury law throughout South Florida. |
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Cruise Ship Assault Lawyer John H. (Jack) Hickey Receives Award From the Florida Bar |
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On June 23, 2004, personal injury and maritime lawyer John H. (Jack) Hickey, Immediate Past President of the Dade County (Miami) Bar Association, was recognized by the Florida Counsel of Bar Association Presidents at its annual meeting. John H. (Jack) Hickey was presented with a certificate “In recognition of your dedicated leadership to the members of your legal community during your service as president.” John H. (Jack) Hickey, a board certified civil trial attorney, has been recognized as a “Top Lawyer” by the South Florida Legal Guide in both personal injury and maritime. John H. (Jack) Hickey is a Lifetime Member of the Florida Counsel of Bar Association Presidents, a Fellow and Lifetime Member of the Florida Bar Foundation, and a Sustaining Member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. |
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Cruise Ship Assault Lawyer John H. (Jack) Hickey Repeatedly Awarded Honor of “Top Lawyer” |
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 In 2004, the South Florida Legal Guide named personal injury and maritime
lawyer John H. (Jack) Hickey as a "Top Lawyer " in both the personal injury
and maritime categories. He was also named "Top Lawyer " by the same publication for
2004-2005. |
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Interviews
In addition, cruise ship assault lawyer John H. (Jack) Hickey has been interviewed about cases by: the Miami Herald; the Daily Business Review; WNBC Channel 6 News (Miami); Lawyers Weekly USA; Associated Press; CNN; and the Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.
Recognition from Prominent Figures in the Legal Community
Click on the links below to read letters of encouragement and congratulations from elite members of the legal community.
Katharine T. Bartlett
Dean and A. Kenneth Pye Professor of Law
Howard C. Coker
President-elect
The Florida Bar
Eduardo J. Padrón, Ph.D.
District President
Miami-Dade Community College
Howard J. Brafman
Kislak, Inc., J.I.
Burton Young
Young, Berman, Karpf, & Gonzales, P.A.
Charlie Crist
Florida State Attorney General
George A. Smathers
Former United States Congressman and Senator |
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| If you are a raped crew member or if you are the victim of rape on cruise ships, our cruise ship rape attorneys can help; call our Miami law firm now for a private, free discussion of your case. |
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“Legal Elite” 
“Top Lawyer” 
“Florida Super Lawyer”
