Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy Files Class Action Lawsuit on Behalf of UC Berkeley Alumnus Against Gohagan & Company and Travel Guard

Many UC Berkeley Alumni Paid Thousands of Dollars for Canceled Dream Cruise “European Coastal Civilizations: A Voyage from Lisbon to London”

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Guy Saperstein, a UC Berkeley Law graduate, against Thomas P. Gohagan & Company (“Gohagan”) for failing to provide a money refund to its reservation holders and against Travel Guard Americas LLC (“Travel Guard”) for denying benefits to its insurance policyholders in connection with the cancellation of a cruise for UC Berkeley alumni—European Coastal Civilizations: A Voyage from Lisbon to London (“Cruise”).

Many UC Berkeley alumni reportedly paid thousands of dollars to book travel through Cal Discoveries Travel, part of the Cal Alumni Association, which provides the UC Berkeley alumni community with educationally oriented travel through Gohagan, among other tour operators. In March 2020, in light of the pandemic, Gohagan canceled the Cruise and denied a money refund to Mr. Saperstein and others who paid Gohagan for the Cruise. Travel Guard also denied trip cancellation benefits to Mr. Saperstein and others who insured the Cruise with Travel Guard. Mr. Saperstein contends Gohagan’s failure to provide a refund breached its contract with reservation holders and Travel Guard’s denial of benefits breached its contract with insurance policyholders, among other claims.

Elizabeth Tran Castillo, a partner at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, one of the attorneys representing plaintiff and the classes, remarked:

“Travel cancellation by airlines, trains, cruise ships, and other travel companies is expected during the pandemic but so are money refunds and/or payment of trip cancellation benefits to consumers. Consumers should not have to bear the loss of the canceled travel.”

About Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP

Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, based in the San Francisco Peninsula for over a half-century, engages exclusively in litigation and trials. The firm’s dedication to prosecuting or defending socially just actions has earned it a national reputation. With additional offices in Los Angeles and New York, the core of CPM is its people and their dedication to principles of law, their work ethic, and their commitment to justice. www.cpmlegal.com