Michigan Parents Sue Norwegian Cruise Line After Infant Suffers Severe Burns From Hot Coffee Spill Aboard Norwegian Joy

Mauro Gonzalez and Suzanne Szkolnik, residents of Montrose, Michigan, have filed a federal maritime personal injury lawsuit on behalf of their minor son, Miguel Alejandro Gonzalez, against NCL (Bahamas) Ltd., doing business as Norwegian Cruise Line. The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida under Case No. 1:26-cv-27251-JEM, alleges that the eleven-month-old infant suffered severe and permanent burns after a dining room waiter negligently placed a scalding pot of coffee within the child’s reach aboard the Norwegian Joy.

Infant Cruise Passenger Burned in Norwegian Joy Dining Room Due to Improper Placement of Scalding Coffee Pot

According to the allegations detailed in the federal complaint, the Gonzalez and Szkolnik family boarded the Norwegian Joy in Miami, Florida, on October 20, 2025, for a four-day round-trip Bahamas cruise calling at Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau. While the primary vessel identified in the booking confirmation and throughout the complaint is the Norwegian Joy, the filing also contains a single reference to the Norwegian Dawn when describing the cruise line’s ownership of the ship. The incident took place on October 23, 2025, while the family was enjoying a seated meal in one of the main dining rooms aboard the vessel.

During the meal service, the waiter assigned to the family’s table allegedly placed a hot pot of coffee directly on the edge of the dining table right in front of eleven-month-old Miguel Gonzalez. The complaint states that the crew member set the scalding beverage container down without the knowledge of the child’s parents and without providing any verbal warning to alert the guests to the hazard. Moments after the pot was placed within his reach, the infant reached out and grabbed the container, causing it to tip over and spill scalding hot coffee directly into his lap.

Norwegian Cruise Line Accused of Failing to Train Waitstaff on Safe Food and Beverage Service Standards

The lawsuit asserts that Norwegian Cruise Line is directly responsible for the training and supervision of its dining room personnel, particularly regarding directional service standards for the safe placement of hot food and beverages at passenger tables. In the hospitality and cruise industries, waitstaff are typically trained to place hot liquids away from table edges and well out of the reach of infants and young children, as well as to issue clear verbal declarations such as warning guests that a beverage is very hot before setting an item down.

Plaintiffs allege that the waiter assigned to their table breached these fundamental safety rules by placing a dangerous, high-temperature liquid directly in front of a baby without alerting the parents. Furthermore, the complaint emphasizes that Norwegian Cruise Line knew or should have known that positioning a hot carafe at the edge of a table directly in front of a minor child created a reasonably foreseeable risk that the container would be pulled over, resulting in devastating thermal burns to a young passenger.

Complaint Asserts Vicarious Liability Under Maritime Law for Crew Member Negligence Aboard Norwegian Vessel

Rather than relying solely on traditional premises liability theories that require proof of prior notice of a physical hazard, the lawsuit brings a direct claim for negligence based on the legal doctrine of vicarious liability. In their filing, the plaintiffs cite the landmark Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Yusko v. NCL (Bahamas), Ltd., which established that a cruise passenger does not need to prove that the cruise line had actual or constructive notice of a dangerous condition when seeking to hold the carrier vicariously liable for the active negligence of its employees.

Because the dining room waiter was acting within the course and scope of his employment with Norwegian Cruise Line when he placed the coffee pot in front of the child, the plaintiffs contend that the cruise line is legally responsible for the employee’s failure to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances. The complaint outlines multiple acts of omission and commission by the crew member, specifically focusing on the failure to act in a manner that would keep the infant passenger safe during routine dining service.

Michigan Family Seeks Compensation for Infant’s Severe Leg Burns, Scarring, and Future Medical Care

As a direct result of the scalding coffee spill, young Miguel Gonzalez allegedly sustained severe burns to his body and extremities, with particularly serious thermal injuries concentrated on his legs. The lawsuit states that the infant has endured immense physical pain and mental suffering, and now faces permanent physical impairments, scarring, and disfigurement.

Through this maritime legal action, the child’s parents are seeking damages in excess of seventy-five thousand dollars to cover past and future medical expenses, ongoing rehabilitative care, pain and suffering, disability, mental anguish, and the loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life. The complaint also demands a trial by jury, or alternatively an advisory jury under the Saving to Suitors Clause of federal admiralty law, to adjudicate the family’s claims in the Miami federal court as required by the forum selection clause in Norwegian Cruise Line’s passenger ticket contract.

Contact a Cruise Ship Child Injury and Dining Room Negligence Lawyer Today if Your Family Was Harmed at Sea

Cruise lines owe passengers of all ages a duty of reasonable care under the circumstances, and that obligation extends to safe food and beverage service in onboard restaurants and dining rooms. When untrained or inattentive crew members carelessly place scalding liquids, hot plates, or other dining hazards within reach of infants and young children, the consequences can be life-altering. Under general maritime law, families have the right to hold cruise operators accountable when employee negligence causes severe burn injuries or other preventable trauma during a family vacation.

If your child or loved one suffered a serious burn or personal injury aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel or any other cruise ship, contact our experienced maritime trial attorneys to discuss your legal rights and options for pursuing compensation at https://holzberglegal.com/contact-us/

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Disclaimer: Our firm does not represent the plaintiff in this case and is not involved in the litigation. The information provided is a summary of allegations based on publicly available court filings. We make no representations about the truth of these allegations, are not commenting on the merits of the case, and are not predicting any outcome.