Carnival Corp first company sued over property seized by Cuba
Carnival Corp. has the unwanted honor of becoming the first US based company sued by American citizens over property seizures in Cuba.
Mickael Behn and Javier Garcia-Bengochea filed suit this week in Miami federal court claiming ownership of port facilities used by Carnival ships in Cuba.
The suits were filed after the Trump Administration’s new policy change allowed Americans to sue companies using property confiscated by Cuba in the 1960s under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act.
Behn and Garcia-Bengochea are seeking millions in damages. They had interests in the port facilities in Havana and Santiago de Cuba respectively before they were seized in 1960.
Cruise lines say they have the law on their side as they claim lawful travel to Cuba is exempt from the Helms-Burton Act
"The law is clear, if the trip was allowed, the Helms-Burton does not apply," said George Fowler, a Carnival attorney.
During this week’s earnings call, Royal Caribbean CEO Richard Fain said: "We believe we possess solid defenses, and we’re not expecting to change our itineraries as a result."
Trade group CLIA agreed that legal travel to Cuba offers protections against the Act.
"Our cruise members have been and are now engaged in lawful travel to Cuba as expressly authorized by the US federal government," it said in a statement.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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