White Island volcano survivor Stephanie Browitt settles lawsuit against cruise line
Stephanie Browitt – who suffered horrific burns in the volcano eruption that killed her father Paul and sister Krystal — has finally settled a four-year battle.
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The US cruise line giant which organised a day trip to New Zealand’s White Island volcano on the day it erupted has struck a deal with two Australian survivors, ending a legal battle that stretched for four years and spanned three countries.
Stephanie Browitt – who suffered horrific burns in the 2019 eruption that killed her father Paul and sister Krystal – and her mother Marie reached the settlement a day before opening arguments in the long-awaited trial of Royal Caribbean in Miami.
Their lawyer Peter Gordon, the founder of Gordon Legal, said they were “immensely relieved” after a “pretty pitched” battle with the world’s second largest cruise line company.
“It’s an extraordinary odyssey for a family from Craigieburn to go through all that, and in a sense, it was its own form of trauma. But we’re all really happy that it’s got to a great resolution today,” he said.
A year after the disaster that killed 22 people and injured another 25, the Browitts sued Royal Caribbean in Florida, where the company is headquartered.
The family had taken the cruise to celebrate Krystal’s 21st birthday. Marie did not join her husband and daughters on the day trip to White Island, where Stephanie suffered burns to 70 per cent of her body but miraculously survived the terrifying eruption.
They alleged the company failed to warn them of the risks of visiting the “highly volatile and unpredictable volcano”, arguing in court documents that the “excursion to this powder keg could not be made safe under any circumstances” and was “a disaster waiting to happen”.
But Royal Caribbean mounted a rearguard action to shut down the lawsuit, launching legal action in Australia’s federal court arguing a clause in their ticket contract meant any disputes could only be dealt with in New South Wales. Separate cases also unfolded in New Zealand.
The Browitts eventually succeeded in forcing the jury trial in Miami, only for the confidential settlement agreement to be finalised on Wednesday morning (local time).
Mr Gordon, who had spent the past month in the US preparing for the trial, said it was “a little anticlimactic to resolve it”.
About 20 people had agreed to fly to Miami to give evidence for their case, many of them from Melbourne, with Stephanie also making the arduous trip in recent days with her mother.
“For someone who’s got full thickness burns to 70 per cent of her body, it takes a certain degree of not just physical durability but an incredible mental fortitude to stay the course and do it,” Mr Gordon said.
“But she’s done it, and I can tell you she’s pretty happy with herself, and grateful to everyone who was prepared to come over and give evidence and help her out.”
Originally published as White Island volcano survivor Stephanie Browitt settles lawsuit against cruise line
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