Toddler Allegedly Molested While At Disney Cruise Ship Day Care, Parents Sue For $20M

A couple from Vermont is suing Disney Cruise Line for $20 million after staff at a ship's day care center allegedly failed to stop the sexual assault of their 3-year-old daughter, federal court documents showed.

A lawsuit filed Sept. 22 alleged that the victim, referred to as R.V. in records, was physically restrained and sexually assaulted by a "significantly older child" inside the Disney Fantasy cruise ship's Oceaneer Club day care center in January 2020, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Disney describes the day care intended for children ages 3 to 12 aboard the cruise as a "kid's activity center" with themed playrooms, craft areas and a media room, according to the outlet.

The parents of the girl, now 5, alleged that she was "excessively groped and sexually touched" by the much older child and didn't have the strength to stop the assault during the seven-day trip, the documents said. The young girl was allegedly assaulted by a 12-year-old child, WFLA previously reported.

Staffers at the cruise's Youth Club's Lab Media Lounge "failed to recognize" the assault and allowed the "ongoing abuse" to continue, the lawsuit alleged.

R.V.'s parents claimed in their suit that Disney Cruise Line — Magical Cruise Company's operating name — had inadequate child care staffing and left their daughter and other kids unsupervised.

The couple, identified only as John Doe and Jane Doe, also claimed that the staffers did not inform them of the assault and were not adequately trained or licensed to work with children, court records showed.

It was unclear how the two parents learned of the assault, but after the cruise, the potty-trained toddler began having accidents, which is a sign of sexual abuse, according to the couple's attorney, Michael Winkleman. Additionally, the child tried to reenact what happened with her father, the lawyer said.

The girl was physically injured and suffered "mental anguish and trauma" from the assault, the lawsuit claimed. She has responded well to treatment, but she and her family will be affected by the incident for years, according to Winkleman.

"It’s easy to say this is a parent’s worst nightmare. They went on a Disney cruise, they put their child in, basically, the day care of Disney. This is about the last thing that they would ever imagine would happen," Winkleman said.

Disney Cruise Line spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez denied the family's allegations and claimed the lawsuit was "wholly without merit," according to the Orlando Sentinel.

"The plaintiffs’ first allegations were reported to the FBI, and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office investigated them and determined them to be unfounded," Martinez was quoted as saying in a statement. "The plaintiffs have now come back with a different story, which is equally unfounded, that another young female child acted inappropriately with their child. We will vigorously defend this case in court."

However, the parents' lawsuit insisted that staff should have separated children by age group to reduce the risk of sexual abuse and placed R.V. in the nursery for younger children.

Additionally, the employees' alleged failure to act and notify R.V.'s parents of the incident showed there was "a clear issue" with their ability to recognize sexual assault, Winkleman said.

The family also hopes to raise awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault and rape aboard cruise ships. "In their eyes, if they can raise awareness about it and prevent this from happening to even one other child, that’s a huge victory," Winkleman explained.

The child accused of improperly touching R.V. has not been identified to her family, according to the lawyer.