Norwegian Cruise Lines Sued for Endangering Lives

Passengers of the "Norwegian Dawn," which was hit by a 70-foot rogue wave, have sued Norwegian Cruise Lines for $100 million. The litigants have accused the operator of risking their lives to accommodate a television schedule.

The twenty-four litigants were all passengers on the "Norwegian Dawn" when the rouge wave smashed into the ship during a storm in April, 2005. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. Federal Court in Miami on June 13th.

The suit claims the "Norwegian Dawn" was to be featured in an episode of Donald Trump's "The Apprentice," and the captain challenged the stormy conditions to meet the TV schedule. NCL has denied the charges. The cruise line acknowledges the ship was scheduled to appear on the show, but flatly denies the captain was under any pressure to meet the schedule.

The rouge wave injured four passengers, smashed windows on upper decks, and flooded more than 60 cabins on the ship. The liner was diverted to Charleston for repairs, before continuing its cruise to the Bahamas.

The diversion scrubbed the ship's appearance on the highly-rated television series. Media reports say the NCL was paid $1 million for the ship's appearance.