Widow to get 1M in hubby's tragic cruise

Jason · January 5, 2007

Widow to get 1M in hubby's tragic cruise

BY CORKY SIEMASZKO

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Royal Caribbean Cruises agreed yesterday to pay more than $1 million to the widow of a Connecticut man who vanished on their honeymoon cruise nearly two years ago.

Jennifer Hagel Smith insisted this was no payoff - and vowed to continue searching for her husband, George Smith.

"My single goal continues to be to find answers regarding how George died," Smith said in a statement. "Reaching a settlement in this case in no way shuts down the investigation."

But Smith's decision to take the money reportedly has caused a rift with her in-laws, who oppose the agreement because Royal Caribbean does not admit to any liability in George Smith's disappearance. The in-laws contend the 26-year-old was murdered and have accused the cruise line of trying to cover up the crime.

Neither side of the family returned calls for comment last night. But Son Pham of International Cruise Victims, which advocates for the families of missing cruise ship passengers, said he was aware of the rift and not taking a position on the settlement.

"We have all been through similar tragedies," said Pham, whose parents disappeared while on a Caribbean cruise two years ago. "It's tough for the whole family and it's a private thing. We don't want to interfere with that."

George Smith vanished from the Brilliance of the Seas as it plied the Aegean Sea on July 5, 2005. Bloodstains were found running from the balcony of his cabin to the lifeboats, and a hand print was discovered on the side of the ship. But his body was never found.

"The cruise line informed us that George's disappearance was an accident, and it insinuated to the public that it was his fault," the widow said later. Royal Caribbean denied the allegation. Under the settlement, which was reviewed by The Associated Press and still requires approval by the Greenwich Probate Court, the Florida-based cruise company will pay $950,000 to Smith's estate and reimburse his widow up to $110,000 for legal costs.