Hope Hicks

A U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) midshipman who shook the maritime industry last year when, under the moniker 'Midshipman-X…

"But, today, Hope is publicly identifying herself in an effort to seek justice for the sexual assault and harassment that she, and others – like Midshipman-Y, endured aboard Maersk vessels." Now real change may finally be on the way thanks to the bravery of survivors like Hope and Midshipman-Y. These courageous young women are standing up, speaking out, and saying, 'This has got to stop!'" According to both complaints, Maersk was aware of the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment on its ships. We take all allegations of assault or harassment very seriously, and we remain committed to ensuring that the shipboard environment is safe, supportive and welcoming to all. According to the complaint, Hicks suffers from severe and ongoing emotional distress as a result of the traumatic events she experienced on the Maersk vessel. Driven to desperation, at the first opportunity, Midshipman-Y begged USMMA representatives to get her off the ship prior to the completion of her required sea time.

Two women have filed complaints in a New York state court alleging Maersk failed to adequately protect them from sexual assault and harassment while working ...

Two U.S. Merchant Marine Academy midshipmen have filed rare civil lawsuits against a maritime employer over alleged incidents of sexual assault and sexual ...

After the publication of Hicks' account, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg suspended the Sea Year program for the second time in five years. The plaintiff in the second, related case is identified only as "Midshipman-Y." She alleges that she suffered severe sexual harassment while underway on the same ship as Hicks, one year after the alleged assault. Her complaint alleges that MLL "was complacent about its sexual assault and harassment prevention duties." “But, today, Hope is publicly identifying herself in an effort to seek justice for the sexual assault and harassment that she, and others – like Midshipman-Y, endured aboard Maersk vessels.” In the complaint, she alleges that she was raped by the first engineer on board - after he provided her with alcohol and encouraged her to drink heavily. The first of the plaintiffs, current USMMA senior Hope Hicks, has identified herself for the first time as the well-known "Midshipman-X" - the anonymous sexual assault survivor whose story of underway abuse revived the debate over how to safeguard personal security for cadets.

One woman's anonymous online account of assault last year raised concerns on Capitol Hill, prompting a temporary pause in the program.

Maersk has signaled it is working to comply with the new prevention standards. She said she was too afraid for her safety to report the attack at the time. The cadet spoke with an onshore Maersk representative, who, according to the suit, responded: “This can’t keep happening.” At one point, while she was playing a card game called “Egyptian Rat Slap,” the crew member told her: “You’re the only girl. The Maritime Administration released new sexual assault and harassment prevention standards on Dec. 15. The court instructed lawyers to resubmit the suit through a special process for filing under a pseudonym, they said. “The individual committed a criminal act. According to the suit, for example, the company did not have a system on the Alliance Fairfax to track or restrict the use of master keys. Hicks’ lawyers also submitted a second suit, on behalf of a woman who said she faced sexual harassment and unwanted touching as a cadet aboard the same vessel two years later. The suit alleges that a satellite texting device issued by the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, which was meant to provide an emergency connection to land, failed to work much of the time. The company said staff have been told “we will not tolerate any breach of our policies regarding the fair treatment of all personnel.” Hicks said she was raped by a supervisor on the M/V Alliance Fairfax in 2019 when she was 19.

The complaints allege that Maersk failed to adequately protect U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (“USMMA”) midshipmen from sexual assault and sexual harassment while ...

According to the complaint, Maersk’s indifference to its duties was evident when one of Hicks’ Maersk supervisors tasked her with logging onto a computer and completing the required sexual assault and harassment training on behalf of a number of other crew members. According to both complaints, Maersk was aware of the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment on its ships. “But, today, Hope is publicly identifying herself in an effort to seek justice for the sexual assault and harassment that she, and others – like Midshipman-Y, endured aboard Maersk vessels.” The complaints assert that Maersk’s conduct violates the Jones Act because plaintiffs’ injuries were directly caused by Maersk’s negligence and failure to provide a seaworthy vessel. Now real change may finally be on the way thanks to the bravery of survivors like Hope and Midshipman-Y. These courageous young women are standing up, speaking out, and saying “this has got to stop!” The second complaint was filed on behalf of another USMMA student who goes by the moniker “Midshipman-Y.” According to the complaint, Midshipman-Y was so severely sexually harassed aboard a Maersk ship during her Sea Year that she slept clutching a knife for protection. Driven to desperation, at the first opportunity, Midshipman-Y begged USMMA representatives to get her off the ship prior to the completion of her required sea time. “What happened to Hope and Midshipman-Y was both foreseeable and preventable by Maersk,” said Steven J. Kelly, Partner at Sanford Heisler Sharp and counsel for plaintiffs. According to the complaint, Hicks suffers from severe and ongoing emotional distress as a result of the traumatic events she experienced on the Maersk vessel. Midshipman-Y’s complaint alleges that she experienced extreme sexual harassment, unwanted touching and discrimination while on board the same Maersk vessel two years later. The USMMA Sea Year Program requires, as a precondition to graduation, that students work on commercial ships for months at a time to gain practical shipboard experience. According to the complaint, when Hicks confronted the officer, she was told no one would believe her if she made a report.

USMMA student said she was pressured into heavy drinking before waking up in bloody bedsheets, bruised and sore with memories of being assaulted by an ...