'Penniless' dancer accused of 'distracting' Costa Concordia captain to sue ship's owner

London, Aug 17 (ANI): A Moldavan dancer, who was suspected of distracting the captain of the Costa Concordia before the luxury cruise liner ran aground off the Italian coast in late January, plans to sue the ship's American owners for a six-figure compensation.

Domnica Cemortan, who claims that she is now almost penniless, said she has taken her case to a U.S. lawyer because she is unhappy about an offer of around 11,000 Euros for the sinking in which 32 died.

The 25-year-old woman, who had worked on board the ship, but was a passenger on its final journey, expects legal action to begin within weeks, the Daily Mail reports.

"If I sue the company, everyone else who hasn't settled will do the same," Cemortan said, hinting at a possible group action among survivors who have not yet accepted the offer.

"It's hard to get anything done in Italy because of the corruption. They will drag it on forever, but they will have to listen to my American lawyer," she added.

Cemortan refused to say how much compensation she was seeking, but indicated that she regarded a figure of 100,000 euro as too small.

"I could make the same money giving interviews," she scoffed.

Cemortan said that while the cruise ship's company prolonged her contract after the sinking, she did not succeed in obtaining work on other liners.

"I applied to some other cruise ships but they didn't get back to me. I have a good education and I want to work. I'm tired of having no job. I have a little daughter who I need to take care of," she added. (ANI)