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Update 2/14/2012: The law firm of Proner & Proner is highly experienced in filing both class-action and individual claims, having recovered millions of dollars on behalf of our clients in both types of litigation. After evaluating the legal issues surrounding a class action in this particular case, we feel that filing a class-action on behalf of victims of the Costa Concordia cruise ship accident is not in their best interests at this point. Instead, we have filed individual actions collectively out of the belief that approaching this case as a mass tort rather than a class action will result in the greatest likelihood of our clients receiving the most significant economic recovery possible.

Moment by moment, we are analyzing all of the variables that impact on this case, and as of now, we remain unconvinced that bringing a class action is the proper strategy to take on behalf of the Costa Concordia victims we are representing from all over the world. Our primary goal is to see that those passengers who have suffered so greatly as a result of this needless tragedy are able to obtain the full measure of damages to which they are entitled.

If you or someone you love was on board the Costa Concordia when the shipwreck occurred, it is imperative that you contact Proner & Proner immediately to ensure that your rights are protected.

Archived Article: 1/25/2012

New York station WPIX 11 ran a report about the initial reaction from the legal community to the Costa Concordia disaster, focusing on Mitchell Proner, who is joining forces with an Italian consumer association and another US law firm to file a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the accident's victims.

"People suffered, people had near-death experiences, and people died," Proner states in the report, adding that Carnival Cruise Lines and the other parties who share responsibility for the accident "must be held accountable - and we intend to do that."

The class-action claim will be seeking at least $160,000 for each claimant, and substantially more on behalf of those injured and killed.  As of January 25, 2012, sixteen of the more than 4,200 passengers on board the ship have been found dead, while many others remain missing.

Even survivors of the tragedy have been treated shabbily by Costa Cruise Lines, the operators of the Costa Concordia, according to Proner.  "One couple was looking to get returned to Albany, New York, and they ended up in Albany, Georgia," Proner told a reporter.

The WPIX report is available for viewing on their website.