A Miami-Dade judge has denied Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ bid to move Frank Del Rio’s consulting-pay lawsuit to the court’s Complex Business Litigation Division, keeping the case on a fast track toward a projected March 2027 trial.

The one-page order, dated July 8 and filed July 9, states that the motion to transfer was heard and denied. It followed a Zoom hearing held July 8 before the Honorable Gina Beovides, and bears the signature of Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan.

The ruling means the case remains in the court’s general jurisdiction division, where a July 4 case management order placed it on the streamlined pathway with a projected trial date of March 21, 2027 and mandatory mediation ahead of trial.

The defendants had asked in a June 25 filing to transfer the case to the Complex Business Litigation Division, a specialized section of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit reserved for

commercial disputes. The division assigns dedicated business-court judges and typically involves more intensive case management and a longer schedule than a standard civil track.

Del Rio, the former president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, sued the company and four former directors, Russell Galbut, Harry Curtis, Mary Landry and Stella David, earlier this year, alleging he was never paid an $8 million consulting fee he said was promised in connection with his 2023 retirement.

The motions to dismiss that NCLH, NCL (Bahamas) Ltd. and the individual director defendants filed June 25 remain pending and will be heard separately.