VIDEO: Royal Caribbean Cruise Staff Allegedly Drugged Unruly Passenger After Serving Him 33 Drinks, Stuffed Him in Fridge Before Death, Lawsuit Argues
A new lawsuit filed against Royal Caribbean alleges that cruise ship staff served a passenger 33 alcoholic drinks before restraining him during a violent outburst — an encounter that ultimately resulted in his death.
According to the complaint, 35-year-old Michael Virgil became highly intoxicated during a December 2024 voyage and grew aggressive when he was unable to locate his cabin. He allegedly threatened several crew members before security intervened.
The suit claims that crew members tackled Virgil, injected him with the sedative Haloperidol, and used pepper spray in an effort to subdue him. It argues that Virgil died from “significant hypoxia and impaired ventilation, respiratory failure, cardiovascular instability and ultimately cardiopulmonary arrest,” and notes that his death has been ruled a homicide.
Virgil’s fiancée, Connie Aguilar, filed the wrongful death lawsuit, saying he had been served an excessive amount of alcohol and later recorded a blood alcohol level between 0.182 and 0.186 — more than twice the legal driving limit, according to an autopsy report cited by the Daily Mail. Aguilar contends that the sedative administered during the confrontation caused his death.
Aguilar, who was traveling with Virgil and their 7-year-old autistic son, says she begged the crew to return to Long Beach following the incident, but the ship continued its itinerary. Her attorney, Kevin Haynes, alleges that staff “placed Michael in a refrigerator and continued the cruise for multiple days.”
According to the autopsy report, Virgil’s blood alcohol level was below 0.20 and “not lethal on its own,” officials stated.
Video from the cruise reportedly shows Virgil attempting to break down a door, kicking it with steel-toed boots and striking his head against it before security detained him.
Fox 11 Los Angeles has reported additional details on the case.
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