MIAMI (CN) - A widow claims in court that Carnival Cruise Lines left her drunk husband to die after he fell overboard, then falsely claimed he had committed suicide.
Michele Markham claims it took Carnival Cruise Lines more than 20 minutes to send out a rescue boat after her admittedly drunk husband fell overboard.
In her federal complaint, she claims the company never recovered his body, then told media, falsely, that her husband Clint had committed suicide.
Michelle says her husband, the sole provider of their family, took advantage of the unlimited alcohol available on their excursion, then went into the party mode that Carnival fosters.
She claims that when she tried to calm him down, Clint went to the upper deck and sat on the railing.
Some witnesses say Clint fell, others that he jumped, but everyone agrees Clint appeared to unconscious before he hit the water, the complaint states.
Michelle says passengers immediately tried to contact the ship's deck, but a rescue boat was not lowered for more than 20 minutes, and Clint's body was never recovered.
It all started in September 2011, when the Markhams decided to take a Carnival cruise to celebrate Clint's 40th birthday, his widow says.
She claims the Carnival cruise invited "daredevils at heart" and offered unlimited alcoholic drinks.
After drinking all day on Cozumel island, and eating food of little substance, the couple returned to the ship by 6 p.m., according to the complaint.
"Clint Markham consumed so much alcohol in such a short period of time on September 23, 2011 that his judgment and physical coordination were substantially impaired," the complaint states.
"Defendant negligently served alcoholic beverages to plaintiff's decedent Clint Markham to excess so that his judgment and faculties were substantially impaired. "Defendant has a corporate policy of not keeping track of the amount of alcohol it freely serves its passengers, so as not to provide notice of overdrinking to passengers who might become injured in part or in whole due to intoxication, and attempt to sue the cruise line. This policy is present in other areas of ship operation.
"When the plaintiff Michelle Markham and her husband returned to the Carnival Conquest after a day of drinking alcoholic beverages and partying, Clint Markham was inebriated to the point of being unable to care for his own safety or to think clearly and rationally. He wanted to continue drinking and partying, however his wife, plaintiff Michelle Markham, tried to exert a calming influence on him and told him he had had too much to drink and that he should stay in the cabin and rest, take a shower, and get ready for dinner. The Conquest departed Cozumel shortly after the plaintiff and her husband returned to the Carnival Conquest. The ship sailed from Cozumel at approximately 6:00 p.m. under sunny skies and calm seas.
"Even though he had consumed excessive amounts of alcohol, Clint Markham had been conditioned by defendant to want to keep partying, and to take it to the limit and beyond. Clint Markham was a daredevil type with honed reflexes who sometimes enjoyed activities that most people would consider too risky, such as bungee-jumping or stock car racing. Clint Markham was also an individual who liked to 'clown around.' Thus a perfect storm was created for the tragedy that ensued.