New Jersey Woman Sues Royal Caribbean After Chair Flips Backwards in Jewelry Store Aboard Oasis of the Seas
Marie Dejean, a resident of New Jersey, has filed a maritime personal injury lawsuit against Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The lawsuit, filed under Case No. 1:26-cv-23296-CMA, alleges that Dejean suffered serious and permanent bodily injuries after a chair provided by a crew member flipped backwards inside a shipboard jewelry store. The complaint invokes the court’s diversity jurisdiction or, alternatively, its federal admiralty jurisdiction, noting that the cruise ticket contract requires all personal injury claims against the cruise line to be litigated in this specific district.
Cruise Passenger Injured on Oasis of the Seas Due to Unbalanced Chair Lacking Protective Foot Pieces
According to the complaint, the incident occurred on or about May 30, 2025, while the vessel was operating in navigable waters. Dejean was on Deck 5 inside a jewelry store aboard the Oasis of the Seas when a shipboard crew member offered her a chair to sit down. Within seconds of sitting, the chair flipped backwards, causing her to fall heavily to the floor and sustain severe physical injuries.
The lawsuit asserts that the furniture constituted an actively dangerous condition for passengers. Dejean alleges that the chair was inherently unsafe because it appeared to be missing protective foot pieces on most of its legs, creating an uneven and highly unbalanced seating surface. Furthermore, the complaint states that the chair was incapable of safely supporting the weight of an average, reasonably expected cruise passenger and lacked any prominent warning signs indicating its maximum weight capacity.
Royal Caribbean Accused of Prior Knowledge Following Multiple Shipboard Furniture Collapse Incidents
Dejean argues that Royal Caribbean had both actual and constructive knowledge of the hazardous seating before her fall took place. The complaint details that the cruise line establishes strict internal policies requiring crew members to clean the store area daily, a process that necessitates moving the furniture. The legal team asserts that the crew members should have discovered that the chair legs provided an uneven and dangerous sitting surface during these daily maintenance routines.
To establish corporate knowledge of systemic furniture defects, the plaintiff’s legal team references five specific prior lawsuits filed in the Southern District of Florida involving passengers injured by collapsing or tipping chairs across the Royal Caribbean fleet. The complaint cites Martin-Viana v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., where a passenger on the Freedom of the Seas was injured when her chair tipped back. It also notes Jason Keaton v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., involving a head and neck injury from a broken chair on the Oasis of the Seas. Additionally, the complaint lists Lisa Hodges v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. aboard the Harmony of the Seas, Evan Malter v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. aboard the Serenade of the Seas, and Randy Olinger v. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. aboard the Grandeur of the Seas. Dejean emphasizes that because the Harmony of the Seas is a direct sister ship to the Oasis of the Seas, the cruise line should have inspected all identical furniture across similar vessels to eliminate known structural dangers.
Complaint Alleges Failure to Inspect and Adhere to Fleetwide Corrective Action Policies
The lawsuit claims that Royal Caribbean maintained formal fleetwide policies and procedures directing crew members to continuously inspect and repair shipboard furniture at periodic intervals. Dejean contends that if the crew had properly complied with these corporate safety protocols, they would have easily observed the missing foot pieces and structural instability of the chair before she was invited to sit.
The complaint describes these maintenance procedures as an established corrective action policy designed specifically to prevent passenger falls and tipping accidents. The plaintiff argues that the cruise line could easily foresee the potential for severe injuries due to the volume of prior similar claims but failed to adhere to its own safety standards or implement appropriate remedial measures in this instance.
Plaintiff Demands Jury Trial for Permanent Bodily Injuries, Lost Wages, and Ruined Cruise Vacation
Dejean brings four separate counts of negligence against the cruise line, including general negligence, failure to maintain, negligent failure to warn, and negligence under a theory of res ipsa loquitur. Under the res ipsa loquitur doctrine, the plaintiff argues that she was entirely without fault, that the chair was under the exclusive control of the cruise line management, and that a commercial store chair does not ordinarily collapse or flip backwards in the absence of corporate negligence.
The lawsuit states that as a direct and proximate result of the fall, Dejean suffered severe injuries to her body and extremities, physical pain, mental anguish, physical handicap, and a permanent loss of the enjoyment of life. She is seeking compensation for ongoing medical expenses, lost wages, and diminished future working capacity, noting that her physical impairments are permanent and continuing in nature. Dejean also seeks damages for the total loss of the benefit of her vacation, including all associated cruise ticket fares and transportation costs.
Contact a Cruise Ship Chair Collapse Injury Lawyer Today if You Were Hurt Due to Defective Furniture
Cruise passengers who suffer severe injuries due to broken, unstable, or poorly maintained furniture while traveling on a commercial vessel may be entitled to significant financial compensation under general maritime law. Cruise operators have a strict legal duty to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances, which includes routinely inspecting seating areas, repairing structural defects, and warning travelers about weight limitations or tipping hazards. If you or a loved one experienced a severe fall or furniture collapse during a vacation, our experienced maritime legal team is available to help evaluate your claim and protect your rights.
Contact us now to speak with a cruise ship slip and fall attorney.
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.
