A CURIOUS SILENCE

Hello Everyone, thanks for your emails and responses. Some have asked about the situation with the probate court; here's the sitaution: it's NOT YET in the CT probabte court. I'll try to explain why...

In a June 29th press release (not linked in their 'George Smith' press release center) Royal Caribbean writes:
"Royal Caribbean International and Jennifer Hagel Smith have reached an agreement settling any potential claims regarding the death of her husband George Smith IV. The company entered into this agreement to provide closure and move forward. The terms of the settlement are subject to approval by a Connecticut probate court. Royal Caribbean will continue in its good faith efforts to ensure Ms. Hagel Smith has access to all information regarding her husband's disappearance.

"We have done our best to assist Jennifer through the tragic events involving the disappearance of her husband," said Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Caribbean International. "She has handled herself well under the most trying of circumstances and we applaud her constructive approach to resolving this matter -- so much so that our company will also match a contribution by Ms. Hagel Smith to a charity of her choosing. We believe this agreement will help Jennifer to move forward in her life, while honoring the memory of her beloved husband."

"This has been the most difficult and challenging year of my life," said Ms. Hagel Smith. "I will always love George and cherish our time together. I feel blessed to have such a strong network of loyal family, friends and supporters who have provided me with such tremendous strength and encouragement. They have walked and sometimes carried me through this heartbreaking time. I am forever grateful. My discussions with Royal Caribbean have been very open, as well as extremely productive and informative. This journey has always been a matter of principle for me, and I know that George would be proud of what has been accomplished thus far, in good faith, as we continue to seek answers. I appreciate Royal Caribbean's cooperation, sincerity and efforts moving forward, which I believe will play a major role in helping all of us find closure. The memory of George will always live on in my heart, that of our families and everyone who knew him."

Heartwarming, isn't it? What a bunch of nonsense. Tucked within that statement, though, is something very important and none of the media outlets have yet picked up on it. "The terms of the settlement are subject to approval by a Connecticut probate court." Yes, that's true. But here's the interesting part. The settlement was agreed upon, inked, etc, on June 29th (if not long before). Here it is August 29th, exactly two months later, and the settlement agreement HAS NOT BEEN FILED. Why? What will happen when it is filed? Who, exactly, files it, anyway? Think about it.