An American woman will receive $300,000 after winning a lawsuit against the cruise company Carnival. The court ruled in her favor after the company served her at least 14 shots in a period of 8 and a half hours, which led to her sustaining multiple serious injuries after a fall in 2024.
A spokesperson for the cruise company told the Miami Herald that the company "disagrees" with the jury's verdict and will "appeal for a new trial". This case is exceptional in holding a company responsible for a passenger's actions.
The passenger, Diana Sanders, 45, "suffered severe intoxication due to excessive alcohol consumption" which led to a fall on board the cruise. As a result, she "sustained serious injuries, including a concussion, headaches, a possible traumatic brain injury, back injuries, tailbone injuries, bruises, and other injuries".
Sanders' lawyers argued that the cruise should have stopped serving her alcohol once they saw she was intoxicated. According to court documents, the jury agreed that Carnival crew members had a duty to exercise responsible care for the safety of their passengers.
On the other hand, Carnival's lawyers also argued that the passenger "fails to sufficiently allege that any crew member knew or should have known that the plaintiff was intoxicated, in addition to not remembering which bar she drank at".