Norwegian Cruise Line Must Pay for Lawyers' Trip

[Jason]

By Dale K. DuPont, The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Dec. 3 - Norwegian Cruise Line has two weeks to fork over $26,164.95 to pay travel expenses of attorneys suing the company over the explosion aboard the Norway.

Another $22,000 is still in dispute.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Lawrence Schwartz told the Miami company on Tuesday to pay for the plane tickets, hotel stays and other costs of a trip to Germany to examine the ship.

The expense flap is part of a $50 million lawsuit filed on behalf of the survivors of Winston Lewis, a steward and 31-year veteran of NCL. He was one of eight crew members killed in the May 25 boiler-room blast at the Port of Miami-Dade.

Miami admiralty lawyer Luis A. Perez wanted to take maritime experts onboard before the ship was towed to Germany this past summer. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Leslie Rothenberg first ordered the ship to stay in port, but NCL objected saying it already had lined up the tugs and wanted to leave before hurricane season.

Judge Rothenberg let the ship go, but NCL had to let Perez inspect it and pay his trip expenses.

A group of eight lawyers and experts made the three-day trip in July. they started sending invoices to NCL soon after they returned.

A motion filed in mid-November said NCL had not paid for any of the expenses. The lawyers wanted a total of $48,094.36, but the sides will have to battle early next year over the hourly fees for the experts to go to Germany instead of Miami.

"Right now, we're going to reimburse [Perez] for his out-of-pocket expenses," Judge Schwartz told NCL's attorney Noah Silverman.

Later, Silverman declined to comment further.

This is the second recent collection dispute involving the accident. Last week, relatives of 10 dead and injured Filipino crew members sued because they want NCL to give them money from a charitable fund established after the explosion. They also accuse the line of refusing to say how much has been collected and how it will be distributed.

An NCL attorney said the fund is for everyone affected by the blast and decisions about distributing the money will be made by those running the fund.

Meanwhile, the Norway is sitting at the yard in Bremerhaven awaiting its fate. NCL in July said the liner would not return to service until next spring at the earliest.

The explosion will cost about $11 million in lost revenue and other expenses this year, NCL parent Star Cruises said in August. The Malaysian company already has received a $9.2 million insurance payout, which helped boost third-quarter profit.

[Jason]

By Dale K. DuPont, The Miami Herald Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Dec. 3 - Norwegian Cruise Line has two weeks to fork over $26,164.95 to pay travel expenses of attorneys suing the company over the explosion aboard the Norway.

Another $22,000 is still in dispute.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Lawrence Schwartz told the Miami company on Tuesday to pay for the plane tickets, hotel stays and other costs of a trip to Germany to examine the ship.

The expense flap is part of a $50 million lawsuit filed on behalf of the survivors of Winston Lewis, a steward and 31-year veteran of NCL. He was one of eight crew members killed in the May 25 boiler-room blast at the Port of Miami-Dade.

Miami admiralty lawyer Luis A. Perez wanted to take maritime experts onboard before the ship was towed to Germany this past summer. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Leslie Rothenberg first ordered the ship to stay in port, but NCL objected saying it already had lined up the tugs and wanted to leave before hurricane season.

Judge Rothenberg let the ship go, but NCL had to let Perez inspect it and pay his trip expenses.

A group of eight lawyers and experts made the three-day trip in July. they started sending invoices to NCL soon after they returned.

A motion filed in mid-November said NCL had not paid for any of the expenses. The lawyers wanted a total of $48,094.36, but the sides will have to battle early next year over the hourly fees for the experts to go to Germany instead of Miami.

"Right now, we're going to reimburse [Perez] for his out-of-pocket expenses," Judge Schwartz told NCL's attorney Noah Silverman.

Later, Silverman declined to comment further.

This is the second recent collection dispute involving the accident. Last week, relatives of 10 dead and injured Filipino crew members sued because they want NCL to give them money from a charitable fund established after the explosion. They also accuse the line of refusing to say how much has been collected and how it will be distributed.

An NCL attorney said the fund is for everyone affected by the blast and decisions about distributing the money will be made by those running the fund.

Meanwhile, the Norway is sitting at the yard in Bremerhaven awaiting its fate. NCL in July said the liner would not return to service until next spring at the earliest.

The explosion will cost about $11 million in lost revenue and other expenses this year, NCL parent Star Cruises said in August. The Malaysian company already has received a $9.2 million insurance payout, which helped boost third-quarter profit.