Charges Filed Against Cruise Charter Organizer Ove...

Maryland’s Lawyer Common Anthony G. Brown is pursuing fees in opposition to Capital Jazz and its proprietor, Clifford Hunte. This ought to be music to the ears of company who’re awaiting refunds from the cancelled Capital Jazz SuperCruise that ought to have set sail in March of 2026.

The music-themed cruise was alleged to sail to the Caribbean from March 22-29 onboard MSC Divina, however MSC Cruises cancelled the non-public constitution in November of 2025 after the occasion organizer failed to pay the cruise line well timed.

By the point information of the cancellation made its strategy to company roughly 4 months later, many passengers had already paid 1000’s of {dollars} to safe their bookings and to e-book flights and hotels near PortMiami.

Allegedly, the Maryland-based firm continued to just accept new bookings, together with deposits and funds, till the final minute.

And now, Capital Jazz has didn’t pay refunds totaling a minimum of $642,240 to the 103 cruise company who’ve come ahead up to now. Maryland’s Client Safety Division believes that the overall of refunds owed is probably going a lot greater.

Primarily based on double occupancy numbers, MSC Divina can maintain 3,502 company, and a good portion of the Fantasia-class ship was doubtless booked by the point the cancellation was introduced.

Company who have been booked on the non-public constitution additionally reported that the occasion organizer stopped speaking with them after they have been notified of the cancellation and failed to reply to inquiries about refunds.

MSC Cruises did give impacted company the choice to e-book straight with the cruise line for a similar dates, because the 139,072-gross ton ship was positioned again into regular operations for the initially chartered dates.

Nevertheless, many passengers couldn’t afford to rebook with out first securing a refund, with some having spent upwards of $7,000 or even over $8,000 on their authentic reserving.

Expenses Filed Towards Capital Jazz

The Maryland Client Safety Division believes that Capital Jazz and its proprietor (Hunte) violated the Client Safety Act by cancelling the themed cruise on the final minute and failing to pay refunds in a well timed method.

“We filed fees in opposition to Capital Jazz after the corporate cancelled a 2026 SuperCruise and didn’t difficulty refunds. In line with the costs, greater than 100 shoppers are owed a minimum of $642,000, and this follows an earlier case over related conduct,” Lawyer Common Brown posted on X.

“My Workplace will use each authorized software accessible to carry the corporate accountable for failing to satisfy its obligations to shoppers,” he continued.

The Maryland-based firm is scheduled to look in entrance of the Workplace of Administrative Hearings to face the costs on July 21, 2026. The decide will resolve the penalties and the way to reimburse the impacted passengers.

Within the meantime, cruisers who consider they’re additionally entitled to a refund are inspired to name the Lawyer Common’s Workplace in Maryland to verify they’re included in any potential reimbursement.

Not the First Offense

Consider it or not, this was the third Capital Jazz SuperCruise to be cancelled in 5 years. It’s additionally not the primary time that the corporate has didn’t uphold its monetary obligations.

Cruise Hive discovered that Capital Jazz was already beneath fireplace for failing to pay refunds from earlier cancellations, which resulted in a authorized settlement in 2025.

Per the Lawyer Common’s Workplace, Capital Jazz has additionally stopped paying the penalties they owed from the 2025 case.

“Capital Jazz made a dedication to Maryland shoppers and broke it, after which they overtly did it once more,” Lawyer Common Brown stated in a press launch.

The costs levied in opposition to Capital Jazz account for the corporate’s incapability to stick to the phrases of the 2025 settlement, in addition to its failure to offer well timed refunds to the company impacted in 2026.