A young woman has filed a lawsuit against Princess Cruises alleging she was raped onboard Sky Princess and contracted HIV during the assault.

She says the attack happened on 28 December 2021.

The 27-year-old, referred to under the pseudonym Jane Doe, claims the alleged rapist was an art auctioneer employed by US-based Park West Gallery.

The lawsuit names both Princess Cruises and Park West Gallery as defendants.

The lawsuit claims the auctioneer attacked the woman when she was drunk, pushing her into a closet and raping her.

Days after the cruise ended, on 8 January 2022, the woman felt unwell and tests later revealed she had HIV.

Princess Cruises told the Daily Beast that it “does not comment on pending litigation.”

Park West Gallery told the New York Post: “The nature of the acts alleged in the complaint warrant a very serious examination that separates the facts from fiction.

“At this time, no evidence has been provided to support the allegations made in the complaint, and no notice of this alleged incident was provided to us, the cruise line or law enforcement, even though the incident alleged occurred a year ago.

“In the company’s 25 years of successfully operating on cruise ships, there has never been an allegation of this kind made against an auctioneer.  We are in the early stages of conducting what will be a very thorough and searching investigation of what has been alleged.”