Cruise Line’s Suit Says Lawyer Should Give Up $1M in Fees
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines claims in a lawsuit that Miami lawyer Jay Wingate should give up about $1 million in attorney fees earned in worker-injury settlements based on confidential company information.
The cruise line claims investigators for Wingate’s firm paid a claims adjuster to disclose the amount of money Royal Caribbean was willing to pay to settle 23 cases, the Daily Business Review reports. An affidavit by the adjuster said she accepted several $500 payments, plus a $2,000 Christmas bonus, for providing the information.
Royal Caribbean doesn’t want to reopen the underlying settlements. Instead, it seeks to bar Wingate from profiting from the 23 settled cases and from another 77 suits pending against the cruise line.
Wingate withdrew from the 77 pending cases after the allegations were disclosed, but denied paying kickbacks.
Wingate’s lawyer argues that Royal Caribbean lacks standing to sue over the fee issue.
