A California man’s death on a Royal Caribbean cruise has led to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his fiancée. The 35-year-old father, Michael Virgil, reportedly consumed 33 drinks at a ship bar before his death in December 2024. The lawsuit alleges that Virgil was detained by ship security during an intoxicated outburst and died while in their custody. His autopsy report revealed a blood alcohol level of 0.182 to 0.186 percent, more than twice the legal driving limit.
Virgil was on a three-day cruise from Los Angeles to Ensenada with his family, including his fiancée, Connie Aguilar, and their 7-year-old autistic son. Aguilar alleges that ship security injected Virgil with a sedative following his outburst, which she believes led to his death. After the incident, Aguilar requested the ship return to port in Long Beach, but her request was denied.
According to Aguilar’s attorney, Kevin Haynes, the cruise line opted to store Virgil’s body in a refrigerator and continue the journey. The lawsuit claims that Virgil became aggressive after being served an excessive amount of drinks as part of the ship’s unlimited alcoholic beverages package. However, it remains unclear how many of the drinks Virgil actually consumed.
The lawsuit further alleges that Virgil, unable to find his room after leaving the bar, became violent and threatened crew members and passengers. In response, crew members reportedly tackled Virgil, restrained him with their full weight, administered a sedative, and used multiple cans of pepper spray. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy report states that Virgil was held down for three minutes before being handcuffed and taken to the ship’s medical center, still breathing.
While Virgil’s blood alcohol level was not lethal on its own, officials noted that alcohol can depress respiration, impair coordination, and diminish an individual’s ability to respond to distress during restraint. The lawsuit alleges that Virgil died of significant hypoxia, impaired ventilation, respiratory failure, cardiovascular instability, and ultimately cardiopulmonary arrest, leading to his death, which has been ruled a homicide.
Haynes compared Virgil’s death to the high-profile case of George Floyd, stating that both involved suppression and restraint leading to the inability to breathe. The lawsuit alleges that the actions of Royal Caribbean employees, who restrained Virgil by putting their full body weight on him for three minutes, were the primary cause of his death.