ST. CROIX — A St. Croix resident is suing Hotel on the Cay for negligence allegedly linked to contaminated water after her minor daughter was hospitalized upon consuming ice made from the hotel’s water, according to the lawsuit.
Nadya Hamad, in her complaint filed March 14 in Superior Court by attorney Lee Rohn, alleges that her 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed with meningitis after drinking beverages at the hotel on December 26, 2024 containing contaminated ice.
The complaint, which was brought against Christiansted Harbor Resort Hotel and Marina LLC d/b/a Hotel on the Cay, alleges the Virgin Islands Department of Health tested the hotel’s water and discovered “it had not been properly treated, tested, nor maintained, nor stored.” The complaint claims the water tested positive for “Legionnaires’ and meningitis.”
Legionnaires’ disease is an atypical pneumonia frequently clinically different from other bacterial pneumonia, according to the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services. Meningitis is an infection of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord that is primarily caused by a viral infection, but can also be caused by bacteria, parasites, and fungi.
The Department of Health issued a cease-and-desist order against Hotel on the Cay on January 10 that required the hotel to immediately suspend all operations due to the detection of Legionella contamination in multiple water sources after two guests who had stayed at the hotel were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease.
The DOH stated on January 14 that tests conducted by its Epidemiology Division validated that the potable water in the hotel’s cistern showed no evidence of Legionella contamination. The DOH announced that the cases of Legionnaires’ disease at the hotel were linked to the freshwater systems within the affected hotel rooms. The DOH stated that its testing identified Legionella in the showerheads, kitchen sinks, and/or bathroom sinks in those rooms, noting that Legionella is most commonly contracted while showering, as the bacteria can be in the mist from the showerhead and enter an individual’s lungs, eyes, or mouth. Extensive plumbing replacements and decontamination efforts were completed. The DOH lifted the cease-and-desist order on the hotel’s operations on January 16.
Despite the Department of Health’s findings that Legionella was limited to the plumbing in the affected hotel rooms, the lawsuit claims the 7-year-old girl became sick and progressively became more ill after drinking beverages containing ice made from the hotel’s water. After initially being hospitalized on December 29, 2024, she remains ill and disabled, requiring medical treatment and care from her mother and others.
While the girl suffered physical injuries and pain, both her and her mother have also suffered economic loss, suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life, according to the complaint. Hamad is suing Hotel on the Cay for negligence and gross negligence. She is seeking punitive damages, prejudgment and post-judgment interest, costs and fees, and such other relief as the court deems fair and just.
