The lawsuit brought by former Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings President and CEO Frank Del Rio against the company and four of its former directors could go to trial in March 2027, according to a case management order issued by the Circuit Court of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County.

The order, signed by Judge Mavel Ruiz on July 4, placed the case on the court’s streamlined pathway and set a projected trial date of March 21, 2027.

The court said the deadlines would be strictly enforced and that the parties should expect the case to be tried during the projected trial period without continuances.

Under the schedule, the complaint must be served by Sept. 2, 2026, with written discovery requests due by Sept. 22. Initial discovery disclosures,  including witness names, relevant documents, damage computations and any applicable insurance policies, are due by Nov. 1.

The deadline for adding parties to the case is Dec. 6, 2026, while expert witnesses must be disclosed by Jan. 10, 2027.

All facts and expert discovery, including depositions, must be completed by Feb. 9, 2027, which is also the deadline for filing motions for summary judgment and other dispositive motions.

The parties must complete mediation by Feb. 19, 2027, the same deadline set for resolving all remaining pretrial motions and jury instructions. The court said sanctions would be imposed if the parties failed to mediate by the deadline.

Del Rio filed suit earlier this year, alleging the company and former directors Russell Galbut, Harry Curtis, Mary Landry and Stella David reneged on an oral promise to pay him an additional consulting fees following his 2023 retirement. NCLH and the individual defendants filed motions to dismiss on June 25 and asked the court to transfer the case to its Complex Business Litigation Division. Those motions remain pending.