A Texas woman has filed a lawsuit alleging her minor daughter was sexually assaulted by a fellow passenger on a Carnival cruise.
Michelle Balch-Muller filed her complaint in federal court against Carnival Corporation.
According to the complaint, the girl was aboard the Carnival Breeze between January 3 and January 7, 2023, when she met a male passenger who claimed to be 16 years old. On January 4, the male allegedly forced the girl into his cabin and sexually assaulted her.
Balch-Muller claims Carnival should have had security measures in place to monitor and regulate passenger behavior, especially where minors are involved. She also alleges the company failed to warn passengers about the risk of sexual assault aboard its ships.
According to data compiled by the Secretary of Transportation, there were a total of 65 sexual assaults reported on Carnival's vessels between January 1, 2019 and March 31, 2022. More than 85 percent of these incidents were committed by passengers.