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Shipping company reaches settlement with Merchant Marine cadet over sexual assault lawsuit

The U.S. subsidiary of the Danish shipping company A.P. Moeller-Maersk said Friday it settled a federal lawsuit with a cadet at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) who reported being raped by a supervisor while at sea.

Former USMMA cadet Hope Hicks used the pen name “Midshipman X” when she publicly described how she was sexually assaulted in 2019 during training aboard the Maersk cargo ship Alliance Fairfax. Ms. Hicks later revealed her identity after filing the suit in New York Supreme Court against Maersk Line, Limited (MLL).

She accused the company of being aware of the prevalence of sexual assault and sexual harassment aboard the ships but not doing enough to enforce measures against it.