A married woman who was a guest on the Margaritaville at Sea cruise claims that her bartender raped her in her cabin, which resulted in her pregnancy.
An unidentified lady, only known as Jane Doe, from West Virginia sued the Classica cruise company in a federal court after bartender Hoobesh Kumar Dookhy's guilty plea to also sexually assaulting her cabinmate on the same night in May 2023. Doe chose to sue after Dookhy's conviction, even though she was first listed only as a witness to the attack.
Following the incident, Doe reportedly became pregnant and had to undergo a procedure to end the pregnancy. Regrettably, she experienced severe complications as a result, as stated in the lawsuit.
What happened last May?
According to the complaint, obtained by the Palm Beach Post, Doe and her vacation companion, who is only known as HB, purchased alcoholic beverages while traveling from Riviera Beach, Florida, to the Bahamas on May 5, 2023, aboard the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise.
The drinks were charged to their cabin number, which gave the bartenders access to their room key and shared cabin.
Dookhy reportedly broke into their cabin in the dead of night after the ladies had finished their drinks. Doe informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation that she was woken up by the sensation of Dookhy's hands on her face, sexually assaulting her. Despite her demands that he leave, she claims he continuously assaulted both her and HB.
Doe reported this incident to the ship's security the next day.
According to the media, authorities discovered the women's room key in the pocket of Dookhy's vest and a picture of the bartender next to the sleeping HB on his smartphone. Subsequently, Dookhy said that his contact with HB was consensual.
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Consequences and Damage
A life sentence in prison was first on the table for him due to a sexual assault accusation. But last November, he pled guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact, and the most severe charges were withdrawn as part of the settlement, as reported by the New York Post.
Next week, Dookhy will face a sentencing hearing where he might be handed a term of two years in jail and a fine of up to $250,000.
According to the source, US District Judge Robin Rosenberg rejected HB's plea for punitive damages against Classica, but she is still pursuing compensatory damages.
Physical, emotional, and psychological agony, humiliation, shame, ongoing mental suffering, "aggravation and activation of preexisting conditions, and sustained disability and the inability to lead a normal life;" These are some of the things she says she went through.
