Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is prepared to set aside $875,000 to settle claims against it by a handful of seafarers stuck in Florida after the Covid-19 pandemic kept its ships from sailing.
The Miami-based cruise outfit agreed to the plan after a long series of negotiations conducted via video conference, according to recently filed documents. The deal was prompted by a lawsuit from Dragan Janicijevic, a Serbian national who worked as a card dealer on a Bahamas Paradise ship.
Just 276 seafarers are eligible for the funds, which is far from the 10,000 seafarers that lawyers had sought to represent in the case.
"The parties have reached a global settlement with [Bahamas Paradise] — after many extensive Zoom and telephonic mediation sessions before nationally recognised mediator Rodney Max, Esq — that will fully resolve this nationwide class action," lawyers said in court papers.
"As described below, the settlement is in all respects an excellent one considering the inherent risks of litigation."
The 276 seafarers will be broken into two groups, one that will receive payment of two months' wages and the other that will receive $1,000 for each approved claim for any work performed on either Bahamas Paradise vessel.
The plan awaits the judge's approval.
The settlement deal comes after the two sides requested a 10-day stay in late August to facilitate the negotiations.
Janicijevic first sued in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida in early August.
He accused the line of lying, false imprisonment, forced labour and withholding wages.
Janicijevic was working aboard the 50,015-gt Grand Classica (built 1991) when the US Centers for Disease Control issued their no-sail order for cruiseships.
Then, crew aboard it and the 47,263-gt Grand Celebration (built 1987) allegedly had their landing permits confiscated. They two crews were then consolidated on the Grand Celebration, where it is said they were told their contracts were being terminated.
They then were allegedly coerced into signing a document saying they were choosing to stay on board, rather than return home under punishment of not being hired back.
Janicijevic even alleged Honduran crew members were kept from leaving, even after their consulate in Miami negotiated their repatriation.
