Press Release - Mass tort lawsuit to be filed in Miami, Florida against Costa Concordia

Press Release - Costa Concordia Lawsuit

Concordia passengers sue Costa

(Wednesday, 1 February 2012) Although passengers were offered a compensation package of up to 11,000 Euros, six passengers on board the Costa Concordia the day it hit rocks off the coast of Tuscany have filed a US$460 million lawsuit against Costa Cruises.
In the suit filed in a Florida court this week, an American legal team representing the passengers described the €11,000 compensation as ‘insulting’ and stressed the company needs to “be held responsible” for their actions, The Guardian reported.
“They intentionally put the passengers at risk,” A New York personal injury lawyer Mitchell Proner said.
“We believe we can win in Florida and we are going to go forward, forward, forward without fear until they don't know what hit them … sort of like the Concordia."
Working with a New York firm, Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik, Mr Proner explained he and a team of international lawyers would represent up to 500 clients affected by the incident.
The case put forth in Florida is seeking up to $10 million in personal damages as well as $450 million in punitive damages on behalf of four Americans, and two Italians.

(1/27/12) Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik LLP Senior Partner Marc J. Bern discussing the Costa Concordia lawsuit on lCNN.

See it on CNN        

(1/28/12) Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik LLP Senior Partner Marc J. Bern discussing the Costa Concordia lawsuit on local10.com.

Mass tort lawsuit to be filed in Miami, Florida against Costa Concordia and its parent company, Carnival Corp. on behalf of hundreds of victims of the Cruise Liner Disaster

(Miami, Florida January 25th, 2012) Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik LLP, a nationally known law firm with headquarters in New York City and Proner & Proner PC, a New York law firm, and the Italian consumer group Codacons will be filing a mass tort lawsuit in Miami, Florida against Costa Concordia and its parent company Carnival Corp. on behalf of hundreds of victims of the cruise liner disaster. The law suit is open to passengers of all nationalities and is focused on obtaining full compensation for passengers and crew members for personal injuries, pain and suffering, emotional distress, death and property damages.

“The law suit is being prepared and the legal questions are being researched as we speak,” said Marc J. Bern, Senior Partner at the law firm of Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik LLP, “and we will be seeking full compensation for the individuals we represent.”

The Costa Concordia collided with rocks off the coast of Tuscany on January 13, 2012. At the time of the collision, the Costa Concordia was carrying 4200 people, 3200 passengers and 1000 crew members. The number of confirmed number of dead victims is 16 while 17 people remaining missing. The search for survivors and missing will continue alongside salvage efforts, which will begin shortly. Captain Francesco Schettino is currently under house arrest and faces possible charges of manslaughter, shipwreck and abandoning ship.

The law firms have been contacted by hundreds of passenger victims and crew members who describe the situation as having been chaotic. “The sheer terror of being on a ship of that magnitude going down, you cannot begin to imagine the psychological damage,” said Bern, “and adding insult to injury, the conduct of Carnival Lines in responding to this disaster has been nothing short of outrageous. We believe the reckless conduct of the Captain and the cruise line will ultimately subject the defendants to punitive damages in this matter.”