First American exec faces assault charges on cruise ship

The head of title insurer First American Financial Corp. allegedly responded to a verbal dispute by getting into a physical brawl while vacationing on an adults-only cruise ship in late March.

First American CEO Kenneth DeGiorgio is accused of choking a fellow passenger who was dancing barefoot in one of the ship's bars, according to a written statement by an FBI agent filed April 1. The Independent first reported the altercation.

The incident took place March 31 on cruise ship Resilient Lady of Virgin voyages. Virgin Voyages did not respond to inquiries.

According to an Federal Bureau of Investigation filing, DeGiorgio's wife, Nichol DeGiorgio, who was with him on the cruise, asked the man who was attacked to stop "dancing barefoot on the dance floor." The man allegedly responded with a crude remark and showed his middle finger to DeGiorgio's wife, after which First American's CEO lunged at him.

DeGiorgio purportedly grabbed the victim by the neck and threatened to kill him. 

In reflecting on the situation, the unidentified victim reportedly told the FBI he "felt as if his throat was going to be ripped out."

Following the alleged attack, DeGiorgio was confined to his cabin pending docking in San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to the FBI. Upon arrival, the executive declined to speak with the FBI and requested legal counsel. 

The executive faces charges of assault within the maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, which carries a one-year prison sentence. 

DeGiorgio's legal team said he responded to the actions "of an individual who harassed his wife, making her feel threatened and intimidated." 

"Although charged with a simple misdemeanor, Mr. DeGiorgio looks forward to being absolved of any wrongdoing," his legal team added.First American declined to provide its own statement regarding the matter

DeGiorgio took the helm of First American in 2022, following a company reshuffle.

He joined First American in 1999 and became its executive vice president following the separation of the current company and what would become CoreLogic (later rebranded as Cotality) into distinct publicly traded entities in June 2010. The executive assumed responsibility for First American's title insurance, specialty insurance, and data and analytics businesses when the company promoted him to president in May 2021.

First American, which operates the largest single underwriter according to American Land Title Association statistics, had net income of $72.4 million in the fourth quarter, versus a loss of $104 million in the third quarter, and net income of $34.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2023.