A bartender on the Margaritaville At Sea Paradise cruise ship raped a passenger and got her pregnant at the same time he sexually assaulted her cabinmate during a voyage last May, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in West Palm Beach.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, had previously been listed as a witness in the case involving her cabinmate, who sued the Deerfield Beach-based Classica Cruise Operator Ltd. last year, accusing the bartender of sexual assault. The man ended up pleading guilty of abusive sexual contact in a Palm Beach County courtroom late last year.

Hoobesh Kumar Dookhy is still awaiting sentencing in that case, facing up to two years in prison.

Jane Doe came forward after her cabinmate because she initially struggled to process what had happened to her, said her attorney, Spencer Aronfeld.

“She had contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI prior to filing suit,” he said. “The statute of limitations on this is one year, so we wanted to preserve her rights by filing in a timely manner.”

The incident occurred on May 5, 2023, during a cruise from the Port of Palm Beach to the Bahamas, according to the lawsuit. Dookhy was serving both women that evening and held on to the room key used to pay for the drinks, according to the suit.

He went into their room after both fell asleep. He has admitted to the assault on the cabinmate, but his response to the latest allegations remains in question, Aronfeld said.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff, who is married, had not been sexually active with her husband for medical reasons. When she discovered she was pregnant, they realized there could be only one father, the bartender.

She had to travel out of state to terminate the pregnancy, and suffered from medical complications as a result.

Attorneys for the cruise line did not return a call requesting comment. Aronfeld said the cruise line had been cooperative with his effort to file suit, but he did not know whether the facts would be contested.

“Maybe he denies it,” Aronfeld said. “I don’t know. But assuming this incident occurred as described, there really is no defense.”

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.