Family sues Royal Caribbean after father dies in vacation tragedy aboard cruise

The family of a 35-year-old man who died aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise after allegedly being served 33 alcoholic drinks has filed a lawsuit seven months after an autopsy ruled his death a homicide.

Michael Virgil, 35, and his family boarded Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas in Los Angeles on Dec. 13, 2024, for a four-day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico, a trip they intended to be a fun vacation.

What began as a routine departure quickly unraveled, the lawsuit says, after an onboard incident involving security that would later become the center of a legal battle.

The family – which includes Virgil’s longtime fiancée and their young son who has autism – has filed a wrongful death complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

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The lawsuit alleges the cruise line is responsible for his death, claiming he was overserved and then subjected to what it calls the excessive use of force and fatal actions taken by crew members.

According to the complaint, the family was directed to a bar with live music because their cabin was not ready. As they waited, Virgil’s then 7-year-old son grew restless and left with his mother to check the room, leaving Virgil alone.

The suit claims that within hours of the ship’s departure, crew members negligently served him at least 33 alcoholic drinks, after which he became intoxicated and increasingly agitated while trying to locate his cabin.

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Security and crew members allegedly tackled and restrained Virgil, compressing his body until he stopped moving. The complaint says that at the direction of the staff captain, the crew injected him with the sedative Haloperidol and used three cans of pepper spray.

The suit says the combination of restraint, sedative use and pepper spray caused significant hypoxia, impaired ventilation, respiratory failure, cardiovascular instability and ultimately cardiopulmonary arrest. The medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide.

The medical examiner wrote that the cause of death was “combined effects of mechanical asphyxia, obesity, cardiomegaly and ethanol intoxication.” The report also said the injury occurred from “body compression during restraint by multiple ship security personnel” and “ingestion of ethanol.”

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Virgil’s body remained refrigerated on board until the ship returned to Los Angeles on Dec. 16, 2024.

“Michael’s family has suffered unimaginable heartache and torment caused by Royal Caribbean, a mega cruise line that prioritizes profit over passenger safety,” Kevin Haynes, a partner at Kherkher Garcia, said. “Crew members, including security and medical personnel, are required to undergo rigorous competency training; it is very clear that Royal Caribbean is completely negligent in the hiring, training and supervision of its vast fleet of maritime employees.

“What was supposed to be a beautiful family vacation came to an unimaginably tragic end due to the reprehensible way the situation – that should have never occurred – was handled,” Haynes added.

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The complaint also notes that Virgil purchased the “Deluxe Beverage Package,” which gives passengers access to nearly all of the ship’s drink offerings, including alcohol. It explains alcohol sales are among Royal Caribbean’s top revenue streams and that the ships are designed with numerous outlets serving alcohol throughout the vessels.

“We are seeing an incredibly alarming number of serious injuries and fatalities on cruise ships of late,” Haynes said. “Our goal is to force systemic change in the way this industry operates to ensure that no person or family experiences tragedy like this again.”

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Through the lawsuit, the estate of Michael Virgil is seeking judgment for damages under the Death on the High Seas Act, including loss of support, inheritance, past and future earnings and net accumulations. The family is also seeking funeral and medical expenses, loss of companionship and protection and mental pain and suffering, among other claims.

Royal Caribbean refrained from commenting on the specifics of the case due to the pending legal matter.

“We were saddened by the passing of one of our guests, worked with authorities on their investigation, and will refrain from commenting any further on pending litigation,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

Former clerk who sought to prove 2020 fraud claims must serve 9-year sentence

A federal judge has refused to release a former Colorado clerk who was convicted of attempting to breach voting systems in hopes of proving President Donald Trump‘s claims of election malfeasance in 2020.

The former clerk, 70-year-old Tina Peters, was sentenced to nine years in prison after a state jury convicted her of participating in a scheme to breach the Mesa County voting systems. Peters filed a lawsuit seeking her release earlier this year, arguing that her free speech rights had been violated, but Judge Scott Varholak rejected the move on Monday.

“Ms. Peters raises important constitutional questions concerning whether the trial court improperly punished her more severely because of her protected First Amendment speech,” Varholak wrote. “But because this question remains pending before Colorado courts, this Court must abstain from answering that question until after the Colorado courts have decided the issue.”

Peters, the only Trump ally to face prison time for 2020 election denial, has received significant support from the president.

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“Tina is an innocent Political Prisoner being horribly and unjustly punished in the form of Cruel and Unusual Punishment. This is a Communist persecution by the Radical Left Democrats to cover up their Election crimes and misdeeds in 2020. The same Democrat Party that flies to El Salvador to try to free an MS-13 Terrorist, is cruelly imprisoning, perhaps for life, a grandmother whose brave and heroic son gave his life for America,” he wrote on Truth Social in May.

“Colorado must end this unjust incarceration of an innocent American,” he added.

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Trump and the Department of Justice have little influence on the case, however, because Peters was convicted of state-level crimes. His administration has unsuccessfully sought to have her transferred into federal custody.

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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, has vowed not to pardon Peters as any part of a deal with Trump, saying he would not participate in “any scheme to prevent her from being held accountable under Colorado law.”

Herbert has awkward exchange with sideline reporter after stunning win

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert had an awkward moment with a sideline reporter on Monday night following their overtime win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Cameron Dicker kicked the game-tying and go-ahead field goals for the Chargers. Then, Tony Jefferson intercepted Jalen Hurts to end the game in overtime.

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ESPN’s Laura Rutledge attempted to get Herbert to talk to her as Chargers players were out on the field.

“I’m trying to celebrate with my teammates,” he said.

Herbert eventually agreed to do the short chat with Rutledge and had praise for his defense for the way they showed up and showed out against the defending Super Bowl champions.

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While Herbert had a lone touchdown pass in the first quarter, the game came down to who was going to make fewer mistakes between both teams. Herbert had an interception and a fumble – accounting for two of his team’s three turnovers.

It was the Eagles who committed five turnovers in the game. Hurts was the culprit for all five. He threw four interceptions in the game and lost a fumble. Two of the five turnovers astonishingly occurred on one play.

Cam Hart, Da’Shawn Hand and Donte Jackson accounted for the three other interceptions off of Hurts.

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Los Angeles improved to 9-4 with the win as Philadelphia dropped to 8-5.

Judge vacates Trump wind order, restoring path for new energy projects

A federal judge on Monday struck down an order by President Donald Trump that blocked the development of wind energy projects.

Trump issued the order, known as the “Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects,” or the Wind Memo, on Jan. 20, 2025. The order directed federal agencies to halt new or renewed permits, leases, rights-of-way and other approvals for onshore and offshore wind energy projects pending the Trump administration’s review of federal wind policy.

Judge Patti Saris, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, struck down the agencies’ implementation of the memo, known as the Wind Order. 

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Seventeen states, Washington, D.C., and Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY) filed the lawsuit, claiming the order violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). 

Saris agreed and ruled on Monday that the order was “arbitrary and capricious.” She also ruled that the freeze itself was “contrary to law,” saying that agencies are required to process permits within a reasonable amount of time.

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Saris stated in her order that federal agencies failed to offer an explanation for halting the permits beyond the enforcement of the presidential memo. Additionally, she wrote that the agencies did not meaningfully analyze relevant issues before implementing the freeze.

“This scant administrative record makes clear, and the agency defendants do not meaningfully dispute, that the agency defendants have not ‘reasonably considered the relevant issues and reasonably explained the[ir] decision’ to implement the Wind Order,” Saris wrote in her ruling. She added that the defendants “candidly concede that the sole factor they considered in deciding to stop issuing permits was the president’s direction to do so.”

Saris vacated the Wind Order in its entirety, effectively ending the nationwide freeze.

The White House defended Trump’s order in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

“Under Joe Biden’s Green New Scam, offshore wind projects were given unfair, preferential treatment while the rest of the energy industry was hindered by burdensome regulations,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said “President Trump’s day one executive order instructed agencies to review leases and permitting practices for wind projects with consideration for our country’s growing demands for reliable energy, effects on energy costs for American families, the importance of marine life and fishing industry, and the impacts on ocean currents and wind patterns. President Trump has ended Joe Biden’s war on American energy and unleashed America’s energy dominance to protect our economic and national security.”

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New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has butted heads with the president in the past, celebrated the judge’s ruling.

“We won our lawsuit and stopped the Trump administration from blocking an array of new wind energy projects. This is a big victory in our fight to keep tackling the climate crisis and protect one of our best sources of clean, reliable, and affordable energy,” James wrote on X.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell also praised Saris’ ruling, saying, “This critical victory also preserves well-paying green jobs and access to reliable, affordable energy that will help Massachusetts meet our clean energy and climate goals.”

Greene takes stand against proposed NDAA, declaring she’ll vote against it

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia announced Tuesday that she intends to vote against the proposed fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. 

Greene said in a post on X that the NDAA is “filled with American’s hard earned tax dollars used to fund foreign aid and foreign country’s wars.”

Greene pointed to the rising national debt, which, according to fiscaldata.treasury.gov, is more than $38.39 trillion.

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“These American People are $38 Trillion in debt, suffering from an affordability crisis, on the verge of a healthcare crisis, and credit card debt is at an all time high. Funding foreign aid and foreign wars is America Last and is beyond excuse anymore. I would love to fund our military but refuse to support foreign aid and foreign militaries and foreign wars. I am here and will be voting NO,” Greene declared in her post.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson has praised the proposed NDAA.

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“This year’s National Defense Authorization Act helps advance President Trump and Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos,” Johnson said in part of a lengthy statement.

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Greene plans to leave office early next month, in the middle of her two-year term.

Ed Burns says ‘two-week rule’ with wife Christy Turlington keeps marriage strong

Ed Burns believes his “two-week rule” with Christy Turlington is the secret behind their lasting marriage.

The actor and filmmaker has been busy bringing “The Family McMullen” — the sequel to his 1995 hit “The Brothers McMullen” — to life. Yet, the 57-year-old told Fox News Digital that no matter how hectic life gets, he and his supermodel spouse vowed early on never to let more than two weeks pass without being together. 

Burns and Turlington, who tied the knot in 2003, share two children: 22-year-old Grace McKenna and 19-year-old Finn.

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“My wife and I, very early on, had an agreement, because our respective jobs do require a bit of travel,” said Burns. “We had a two-week rule where neither one of us was allowed to be gone for more than two weeks at a time. And a lot of times, we had to look at our calendars and sometimes say no to a particular job that would require travel that might have us gone for a longer period of time.”

“Now that we’re empty nesters, we don’t have to stick to that in the same way,” he said. “But we still try not to do jobs that will have us away from one another for too long.”

“The Family McMullen”chronicles the love, humor and challenges that keep a family together in a Brooklyn setting. For Burns, the most powerful lesson about partnership — the one that guides his storytelling — is, at its core, surprisingly simple.

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“It’s sort of a cliché answer, I guess, but I think [having] open lines of communication [is key],” he said. “Whether it’s between husband and wife, parents and their kids, or siblings — those are all things we explore in ‘The Family McMullen.’ And keeping a sense of humor even when things get tough with family.”

Burns’ first film followed his character, Barry, and his brothers as they navigated life after their father’s death. “The Family McMullen” chronicles Barry’s grown kids as they move back home.

“I did not draw from my own life and kids, and I never do that really with my work,” Burns explained. “If there’s any parallel between Barry McMullen and me in this film, it’s that Barry’s a little bit of the butt of the kids’ jokes. That’s probably true in my house. That said, if years from now my kids want to move back home, I’m sure Christy and I would both welcome them with open arms.”

But make no mistake — empty nesting has been “great” for the star. He sees it as a chance to dive into new projects while staying connected with his family. 

“While we certainly miss the kids, it’s been a very productive time for me,” he explained.

“I’m getting more writing done now than I’ve ever gotten done. I wrote a novel last year that comes out in paperback on Dec. 15. I just submitted the second novel that I’ve written to the publisher. We have another project that hopefully we’ll be making in the spring. So, I’m keeping my time filled with having the empty nest.”

During the holiday season, Burns said he feels especially grateful. He credits the late Robert Redford — who died Sept. 16 at 89 — with giving him a career-defining opportunity three decades ago.

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“I had finished shooting ‘The Brothers McMullen,’” he recalled. “I had a rough cut on VHS, but we’d been rejected by every film festival and distributor. I couldn’t get an agent or a manager. I thought the movie was dead. At the time, I was working as a production assistant at ‘Entertainment Tonight,’ and we were interviewing Redford about the movie he directed, ‘Quiz Show.’ I decided this was my last shot.”

After the interview, Burns said he followed Redford to the elevator and gave him a 30-second pitch. Redford took the tape. Two months later, Burns got a call — “The Brothers McMullen” had been accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. The movie went on to win the Grand Jury Prize.

“Not only did I get to meet Redford after the screening, and thank him for taking the tape and helping us get in, but he was kind enough to let me introduce my mother,” said Burns. “He spent 10 minutes talking to her, telling her what a talented son she had. My mother was over the moon — Redford was her favorite.”

The film also sparked a decades-long friendship with Connie Britton, who played Molly McMullen — her first feature role.

“The first memory I have of Connie is when she auditioned for me in my dad’s office back in 1993,” said Burns. “We had auditioned a number of actresses for that part, and nobody was right. I started to think, ‘Maybe the scenes are just terrible.’ ‘Maybe I just don’t know how to write for this character, for this woman.’”

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“Connie came into the audition and just crushed it,” he said. “We said, ‘Thank you very much.’ She left the office, and I sat there. I’m like, ‘Wait a second. What am I doing? She is Molly.’ I ran out of the office, chased her down the street. She had her suitcases with her because she was going to Grand Central. I ran into her on Third Avenue and said, ‘I want you to do the movie. You got the part.’ Since then, we’ve been fast friends.”

Even after 30 years, Burns insists he has no interest in venturing into big-studio, blockbuster territory as a filmmaker.

“I think the reason I keep telling these small, character-driven stories is, as a kid in film school, those were the movies that first excited me as a young artist who was trying to figure out what kind of films I wanted to make and what kind of stories I want to tell,” he said.

“Luckily for me, I grew up in New York. I live in New York City, I still take the subway every day. And when you’re on the train, I sit there, and I’m listening in on people’s conversations. I’m watching the way people interact with one another. You just let your imagination go in the city.”

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“Again, another cliché, but the city never ceases to inspire,” he added.

When asked what he hopes audiences will take away from his latest film, Burns replied, “That there is such comfort in family.”

“I do think that at the end of the day, it’s a movie that reminds you that having a family that you’re still close to is a real blessing and not to take it for granted.”

Father of two killed when hunting rifle accidentally fires while crossing cattle guard

A Louisiana hunting trip turned tragic when a father described as having a “heart of gold” was accidentally shot and killed last month.

Garret Verdun, 45, died when a hunting rifle accidentally discharged as he and his hunting partner were walking to their hunting spots in Lafourche Parish around 4 p.m. on Nov. 29, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) said in a news release.

Verdun’s partner told LDWF the two had just crossed a cattle guard when Verdun passed him the rifle and it went off. The .308-caliber round struck Verdun, killing him before first responders arrived, officials said.

His body was turned over to the Lafourche Parish Coroner’s Office. LDWF is assisting the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.

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Verdun is survived by his 19-year-old  daughter Chloe, his son Ethan, and his fiancée Tiffany Hunter.

Chloe paid tribute to her father on Facebook, writing, “I wish more than anything I wouldn’t be making this post, but I’m so blessed to have shared 19 years with you. I love you forever, Dad, and always will.”

She added: “You will forever be my role model and favorite person. Until we meet again, forever will be your love bug.”

An online obituary remembered Verdun as a man with a “heart of gold” who was “ready to lend a hand or offer a comforting word,” noting that “his life, though too short, was rich with deep relationships and a boundless capacity for love.”

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It said his greatest joy came from time spent with his children, fiancée and family.

“Garret was an avid outdoorsman at heart,” the obituary continued. “He was gifted with hands of a craftsman and enjoyed carpentry and building things. Above all else, his family was his passion, always putting them first. He will be missed by all who knew him.”

The family asks that those wishing to honor Verdun to donate in his name to the Wounded Warrior Project rather than send flowers.

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LDWF reminded hunters to keep firearms unloaded and safeties engaged while traveling to and from their hunting locations.

Separate schools, higher standards: the model that’s saving North Carolina kids

Education has been on my mind a lot lately as I continue my Walk Across America through the gentle hills of North Carolina. Part of why I’m doing this walk is that I have seen how the lowering of education standards over the last 60 years has devastated Black communities, such as the one I live in on the South Side of Chicago. Without a proper education, one cannot go far in life in America. It is my ambition to reverse this insidious and life-sucking trend everywhere in America and when I reached the city of Raleigh I decided to visit two schools that I heard were successful.

The school for the boys is called Iron Academy and the girls’ school is called Academy31. They both sit on the same campus in separate buildings and yet their mission is the same: Raise kids the way God designed for them, strong in faith and ready for life.

When I walked into Iron Academy, the boys looked me in the eye and shook my hand like men. They talked about responsibility like it was normal. I’m so used to stressing responsibility to my own youth that it is sometimes startling when I see it ingrained in a child. All of these kids were regular boys who understood that the purpose of school was to go home each day having learned something of consequence.

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The small classes (15:1 ratio) were led by Christian teachers who actually knew each student’s name. Their mission is to “develop young men of biblical manhood and integrity.” Each student is required to lead an initiative of some sort, and that is core to the program. In addition to the books, there is a heavy emphasis on physical training, public speaking, working with their hands and using Scripture as the guiding foundation.

The results show improvement: grades jump, attitudes straighten and young men start acting like somebody’s counting on them, because somebody is. Every year, Iron Academy publishes outcome data that shows an average 8.7-point IQ increase after the first year of enrollment.

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Then I walked the path across the campus to Academy31. The vibe in the air was different but the strength and conviction were the same. The girls greeted me with quiet confidence. They resembled the Proverbs 31 woman: smart, capable, kind and fearless.

I saw these girls studying Latin, logic and literature right alongside cooking, finances, and how to run a home or a business. They were surrounded by mentors who were the older students discipling the younger ones. The school felt like a house full of sisters who decided the world doesn’t get to tell them who they are — God already did.

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What I loved about these two North Carolina schools was that there was no co-ed chaos, no watering down of standards or behavior to keep everybody comfortable. Boys get to be boys and figure out what it means to strive for biblical manhood without apology.

Girls get to be girls and grow into biblical womanhood without competition. Growth is the key word here. Both the boys and girls are given the time and space to grow into their own selves and that allows their roots to grow strong and firm. And because the schools sit right next to each other, the boys learn to respect the girls and the girls learn to respect the boys — the old-fashioned way that still works.

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I stood there on that campus thinking about the kids back on the South Side. Fatherless boys wandering the block, looking hard because nobody ever showed them how to be strong the right way. Girls raising babies while they’re still babies themselves because nobody taught them their worth. We keep throwing money at programs that treat symptoms and wonder why nothing changes.

This is the answer I’ve been praying for.

We don’t need another government report or celebrity PSA. We need places where boys become men of God and girls become women of God, separate when it helps them grow, together when it teaches them honor.

North Carolina already has the blueprint. Iron Academy and Academy31 are proving it works, one young man and one young woman at a time.

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When I get back to Chicago, Project H.O.O.D. is starting two schools of our own, one for boys and one for girls. Small at first. Biblical from the foundation. No excuses, no shortcuts. We’ll teach reading, writing and arithmetic, but more than that, we’ll teach character, courage and Christ.

Because strong boys and strong girls don’t just happen. Somebody has to build them on purpose.

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Fathers could be financially responsible during pregnancy under new legislation

FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican is mounting an effort to make it easier for women to keep and raise their babies after birth.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, is unveiling a bill called the Supporting Healthy Pregnancy Act that would ensure pregnant mothers get financial support from the father even before their child is born, Fox News Digital learned first.

It’s an effort by the Republican Party to affirm its pro-family ideology as Democrats continue to accuse the GOP of being anti-choice while also being unwilling to support women who keep their babies.

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Hinson’s bill would require states to establish systems where the biological father of a child is required to pay at least 50% of out-of-pocket costs for medical expenses associated with a pregnancy and delivery, including health insurance premiums.

There are certain limitations on costs incurred, however, and abortion costs are excluded altogether.

The payments must also be requested by the mother before the father is legally obligated to make them.

Single mothers are currently eligible to request a legal order for child support beginning at birth in most states, meaning many are left to deal with the costs associated with pregnancy.

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It’s the latest piece in a package of bills Hinson introduced related to helping women through maternity.

Another bill Hinson introduced would mandate that pregnant women in higher education institutions know what rights and resources they have on campus in an effort to give them more options aside from abortion.

A bipartisan bill co-led with Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Mich., would expand access to and career training for midwives, particularly in underserved parts of the country.

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“I’m a mom on a mission to make life easier for my fellow moms and families. That’s why I’m working to expand access to maternal care, ensure women have resources throughout pregnancy and beyond, and improve child care options for growing families,” Hinson, who is running for Senate in Iowa, told Fox News Digital.

“Strong families make a strong nation, and we should work together to support the parents and women who are building America’s future,” she said. “As a mom of two, I’m proud to be a leader in that fight for Iowa and for families nationwide.”