Carnival Cruise Lines Found Negligent in Alcohol Case
A jury in Florida has determined that Carnival Cruise Lines was negligent in serving excessive alcohol to a woman, resulting in her injuries, and has ordered the company to pay $300,000 to a nurse from California.
Diana Sanders, 45, from Vacaville, California, received the ruling from a Miami federal jury on April 10, as reported by the Miami Herald. According to court documents, Sanders boarded the Carnival Radiance on January 5, 2024, where she was reportedly served at least 14 shots of tequila between the hours of approximately 2:58 p.m. and 11:37 p.m. Her fall, occurring between 11:45 p.m. and 12:20 a.m., caused severe injuries, which included a concussion, potential brain damage, and back and tailbone injuries.
“This lawsuit underscores the risks linked to all-inclusive drink packages that can lead to excessive drinking, putting pressure on lower-paid staff to prioritize tips over customer safety,” commented Spencer Aronfeld, Sanders’ attorney, according to the Associated Press.
Sanders expressed her frustration regarding how she was treated by Carnival after losing consciousness. “They gave me conflicting information. I felt like a criminal. I was worried they wouldn’t be honest about what happened to me,” she shared in a video interview posted by CBS News Sacramento.
The jury assigned 60% of the responsibility to Carnival while attributing 40% to Sanders herself. The awarded sum of $300,000 surpassed the $250,000 initially sought by her attorney, as reported by Nurse.org.
Aronfeld mentioned in an email, “During the trial, Sanders acknowledged her drinking but argued that Carnival should be held accountable for serving her 15 shots of tequila over a short period.” He noted that jurors viewed security footage showing the half-hour timeline from when she left the casino bar to when she was found unconscious in a crew area.
Carnival has stated that it respectfully disagrees with the verdict and plans to pursue a new trial and appeal the decision.
Overservice cases against cruise lines are quite rare, according to Aronfeld and reports from the Tampa Bay Times. This decision arrives amidst another wrongful death lawsuit against Royal Caribbean, where it is claimed that a crew member served a passenger 33 drinks before his death on a cruise in December 2024.
