Celebrity Cruises has been sued by a family in Florida after they say loved ones were placed in a beverage cooler after his death, severely decomposing his body after they got off the ship.
Robert L. Jones died of heart complications while aboard the Celebrity Equinox on August 15, 2022. After his death, his wife, Marilyn Jones, was informed that the body could be kept in the ship’s morgue for six days until its arrival in Florida.
The complaint alleges that at some point, Bob’s body was moved from the morgue to a beverage cooler on a different floor of the ship.
Jones — along with her daughters Robin Phillips and Teresa West — alleges that the cruise crew urged her to keep Pope’s body on board, rather than remove it during a stopover in Puerto Rico.
By the time a funeral services employee went to retrieve the elderly man’s body upon his arrival in Florida, the corpse—which was found in a body bag on a floorboard—had decomposed so badly that an open-casket funeral was not possible.
Jones, her daughters, and her grandchildren are suing for $1 million.
Celebrity Cruises is being sued by a Florida family after they say loved ones were placed in a beverage cooler after his death, severely decomposing his body after they got on board.
A lawsuit filed by Marilyn Jones, 79, and her daughters alleges that the cruise crew urged Jones — then 78 — to keep the body of Robert L. Jones, 79 (pictured) on board
In the suit filed April 19 in Florida Southern District Court, the family alleges that Celebrity Cruises improperly stored the 79-year-old’s body, to the point where his remains “went so far in the process of decomposition.”
The suit states that the remains could not be salvaged, and the family had to abandon their “long-standing family custom” for the open-casket services.
Upon his death, cruise workers told Jones she had the choice of either removing his body from the ship in San Juan or storing it properly for six days until it reached Fort Lauderdale.
Claimant Marilyn Jones was told by Celebrity staff that if her husband’s body was taken ashore in San Juan, she would be required to remain in San Juan with his body and would have to make arrangements to transport her and her husband’s bodies to the mainland. United States,’ the complaint alleges.
He adds, “Plaintiff Jones was 78 years old at the time and there were no other family members on board.”
Cruise ship representatives told West that there was a 50/50 shot, the coroner’s office in San Juan would take her father’s body before releasing it to a funeral home for preservation procedures.
They also allegedly informed the family that they had a functioning morgue on board that was equipped to handle such cases.
According to the complaint, Jones decided, on their recommendation, to keep her husband’s body on deck where she thought it would be safe.
Jones—who was married to “Bob” for 55 years—was allegedly told by Celebrity staff that her husband’s body could be stored in the ship’s morgue until they returned home.
Robert Jones (center) Robin Phillips’ daughter (left) and granddaughter (right)
At some point during the six-day voyage back to Florida, Pope’s body was moved from the ship’s morgue to a beverage cooler that was insufficiently equipped to store the remains.
It wasn’t until a Fort Lauderdale Funeral Services employee went to retrieve the body from the morgue that they realized it had been moved at all.
The complaint stated that “the cooler in which Mr. Jones’ body was found by the funeral officer contained drinks outside the cooler, and was neither at a sufficient temperature nor suitable for storing a body to prevent decomposition.”
“Upon examination of Mr. Jones’ body, it was immediately apparent that Mr. Jones’ body was in advanced stages of decomposition and had not been stored at an appropriate temperature to prevent decomposition from occurring,” the suit continues.
According to the family, the man’s body was found stretched out significantly from the gas that formed from the decomposition.
In addition, Bob’s skin had turned green and the intubation tube was still in his mouth and down his throat.
There was also blood splatter on the inside of the bag which “would have just happened” from the buildup of gas in the body and its release through the tube.
The family believes that the morgue on board was not functioning properly at the time and they were not told of the situation or given an opportunity to make any decisions.
In order to keep the bodies in good condition, they must be stored at freezing temperatures to slow the decomposition process.
The complaint alleges that the celebrity — who has suffered dozens of deaths on other cruises — should have known this and had a properly functioning morgue that could keep Bob’s remains in the correct condition.
Normally, cadavers must be able to be stored in morgues for weeks or months before significant decomposition begins.
According to the family, the man’s body was found stretched out significantly from the gas that formed from the decomposition
By the time a funeral services employee went to retrieve the elderly man’s body upon his arrival in Florida, the corpse—which was found in a body bag on a floorboard—had decomposed so badly that an open-casket funeral was not possible.
The family says the actions and inactions regarding the elderly man’s body show the celebrity’s indifference to “his death, his dignity, the loss of his family, friends, and community, and he showed complete concern for the safety of his remains.”
Jones and her family are asking the judge for $1 million, including interest and costs after the advance ruling, in addition to the demand for a trial by jury.
The family says the actions and inactions regarding the elderly man’s body show the celebrity’s indifference to “his death, his dignity, the loss of his family, friends, and community, and he showed complete concern for the safety of his remains.”
The celebrity crew responsible for storing Mr. Jones’ body for the remaining six days of the cruise acted recklessly, willfully, arbitrarily, and without a care for loved ones of the Jones family by failing to ensure that the morgue was functioning properly for the duration in the near week that the remains were stored under Take care of them, the suit says.
“As a passenger of his ship, the defendant owed Robert Jones a duty to exercise reasonable care in the circumstances,” the complaint read.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Celebrity Cruises for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.
