Carnival Cruise: Federal Jury Orders $300,000 Payout to Injured Passenger

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Carnival Cruise Corporation was ordered by the federal judge in April 15 to pay $300,000 in damages to an injured passenger.

The passenger, identified as Diana Sanders, a 45-year-old nurse from Vacaville, California, suffered a serious accident after consuming excessive amounts of alcohol on board.

“Taking on a corporate giant like Carnival is a massive undertaking, and I have enormous respect for my client’s resilience throughout this 18-month litigation," Sanders' attorney Spencer Aronfeld said in an email.

“This case highlights the inherent dangers of all-inclusive drink packages, which encourage excessive consumption and pressure underpaid servers to prioritize tips over safety.”

The incident involving Diana Sanders happened on January 5, 2024, while she was a passenger on the Carnival Radiance cruise ship.

According to court documents, Sanders consumed at least 14 shots of tequila over a period of approximately 8.5 hours, from 2:58 PM to 11:37 PM local time.

After consuming a significant amount of alcohol, Sanders suffered a serious fall on board the ship.

The accident resulted in severe injuries, including a concussion, chronic headaches, a possible traumatic brain injury, a back injury, a tailbone injury, and bruises to various parts of her body.

Sanders' injuries required medical treatment and had long-term health consequences.

These conditions formed the basis of her lawsuit against Carnival Corporation, seeking liability for the company's negligence.

A federal jury in Miami ruled in favor of Diana Sanders on April 10, 2026, after considering evidence and arguments from both sides.

Carnival Corporation was ordered to pay $300,000 in damages, an amount even exceeding the $250,000 requested by Sanders' legal team during the trial.

The jury agreed with Sanders' argument that Carnival crew members had a duty of care and reasonable care for the safety of their passengers.

This duty includes the responsibility to supervise and/or assist passengers on board who are known or should have been known to be engaged in behavior that is potentially dangerous to themselves or others.

Although Carnival argued that Sanders failed to identify which crew member served him excessive alcohol, the jury still found Carnival liable for Sanders' injuries.

Sanders himself was found liable for 40% of the incident.

A company spokesperson said the cruise line “respectfully disagrees” with the verdict and plans to appeal, as reported by The Sun.

During the 17-month legal process, Carnival Corporation attempted to have the case dismissed several times.

The company claimed Sanders failed to identify specific crew members or the bar where the excessive drinking happened.

Defense attorneys further claimed there were no allegations that Sanders staggered or stuttered to alert staff to his condition.

However, the plaintiffs' legal team argued that Carnival intentionally encouraged high alcohol consumption to maximize revenue by placing service stations in "every nook and cranny" of the ship.

The six-person jury ultimately ruled that the cruise line had a reasonable duty of care to ensure the safety of its passengers.