After a federal jury in Miami returned an eight-figure award to a woman who alleged rape by a cruise line employee at sea, plaintiffs counsel is warning lawyers of the emotional investment required to take up similar litigation and the push back from counsel for these maritime defendants.

Daniel Courtney, a solo practitioner based in Miami, represented Jane Doe against Carnival Corp. in a weeklong trial before U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams, who sits in the Southern District of Florida.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams.