Silversea and RCL sue Crystal Cruises over new hire
Silversea and parent company Royal Caribbean have filed a lawsuit against Crystal Cruises, its SVP of sales and Abercrombie & Kent.
RCL and Silversea have accused Crystal Cruises‘ newly hired senior vice president of global sales Matias Andred Lira, a former Silversea executive, of breaching his contract, fiduciary duties and the Florida Uniform Trade Secrets act, according to court documents seen by Travel Weekly US.
The two lines are reportedly seeking $750,000 in damages and for Lira to honour a non-disclosure and non-compete agreement he signed with Silversea.
The suit was filed on 31 August in the 11th judicial court in Miami-Dade County and no formal response has been filed by Crystal, A&K or Lira.
The Crystal Cruises brand and several of its ships were acquired by A&K Travel Group in June, as part of a plan hatched by A&K founder Geoffrey Kent and Silversea’s previous owner and current chairperson Manfredi Lefebvre D’Ovidio.
The acquisition marked Lefebvre d’Ovidio’s return to the cruise industry following the sale of Silversea, a luxury line founded by his father, to Royal Caribbean in 2018.
“Selling the cruise business that belonged to my family for a quarter of a century was a difficult decision, as I knew I would miss this industry immensely,” Lefebvre d’Ovidio said upon revealing the acquisition.
“Therefore, when the opportunity arose to acquire Crystal Cruises, I did not think about it twice.
“Having next to me my incredible friend and inspiring leader Geoffrey Kent makes this venture even more enjoyable.”
Crystal Cruises collapsed earlier this year after its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, ran out of cash due to the insolvency of its German shipbuilding subsidiary MV Werften.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
abercrombie & kent Geoffrey Kent Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio Matias Andred Lira royal caribbean silverseaLatest News
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