US lawyer urges Costa Concordia passengers to sue US-parent company

Feb 9, 2012, 15:12 GMT

Rome - A US lawyer on Thursday said Costa Concordia passengers should seek damages from the cruiseliner's parent company, Miami-based Carnival Corporation, dismissing an offer of 11,000 euros (14,500 dollars) made by its Italian owner, Costa Crociere.

The compensation sum offered is 'disrespectful to people who went through a Titanic-like experience for six hours,' John Arthur Eaves, who represents around 70 Concordia passengers, told a news conference in Rome.

Instead, the shipwreck's survivors should not accept 'anything less' than 100,000 dollars each, he said.

Passengers who suffered physical injuries and relatives of the deceased are subject to a different offer.

The Costa Concordia hit rocks and sank near the island of Giglio, off Italy's western coast, on January 13. To date, 17 people have been certified dead from the disaster, while 15 remain unaccounted for.

Eaves, whose clients included Concordia passengers from the United States, Italy, Germany, Russia and Britain, also advised passengers not to pursue collective 'class action' suits, saying individual cases against Carnival stood 'a much better chance of success' in the US courts.

In the US, individual lawsuits are usually resolved between one and two years, while class action cases generally take longer, the lawyer said.

Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino is currently under house arrest in Italy and faces charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship before all of the around 4.200 passengers and crew were evacuated.

Prosecutors are also investigating the Concordia's first officer, Ciro Ambrosio, in connection with the accident.

Costa Crociere has blamed Schettino for the accident and has denied allegations that the Concordia sailed dangerously close to Giglio as part of a publicity stunt.