A Jury Just Ruled Carnival Owes £220,000 to a Nurse Served 14 Tequila Shots That Left Her Inebriated Onboard

A Judge in Miami has awarded a women £220,000 ($300,000) after taking on cruise line giant; Carnival Corp.

Diana Sanders, a 45-year-old nurse who lives in Vacaville, California, was a passenger on the Carnival Radiance ship on the 5th of January 2024, when she was served at least 14 shot of tequila in an 8 hour and 39 minute span, between approximately 2:58 p.m. and 11:37 p.m.

According to Sky News, Soon after leaving one of the ship's bars, she experienced a fall that left her with a concussion, headaches, back injuries and bruising.

Sanders was later found unconscious in a crew-only area.

Jury Awards Woman £220,000

'The six-person federal court jury agreed with the plaintiff's argument that Carnival's crew members had a duty to exercise reasonable care for the safety of its passengers, and that included "the responsibility ... to supervise and/or assist passengers aboard the vessel who Carnival knew, or should have known, were engaging, or were likely to engage in behavior potentially dangerous to themselves or others abroad the vessel," according to court documents,' and the Miami Herald.

Sanders attorney Spencer Aronfeld said: 'Taking on a corporate giant like Carnival is a massive undertaking, and I have enormous respect for my client's resilience.'

'This case highlights the inherent danger of all-inclusive drink packages, which encourage excessive consumption and pressure underpaid servers to prioritise tips over safety,' He continued.

According to TODAY, 'The passenger's lawyers argued that the cruise ship's bartenders should have stopped serving her once she became visibly intoxicated, which is a customary practice for bartenders on land.'

Sanders lawyers argued that 'Carnival "deliberately designs its vessels ... to ensure that there are alcohol serving stations in every nook and cranny of the ship," in an effort to make as much money as possible, the lawyers argued in the court documents.'

Carnival 'deliberately does as much as possible to encourage and facilitate alcohol consumption aboard its vessels,' the attorneys said

The £220,000 ($300,000) reward is £184,000 ($250,000) more than had been requested during the trial.

History of Cruise Lines Over-serving Alcohol

Sander's legal win is not the only case successfully launched against cruise lines.

'The passenger's legal win comes on the heels of wrongful death lawsuit by the fiancée of a 35-year-old Southern California man who died onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise after being served 33 alcoholic drinks in under 12 hours,' according to TODAY.

The lawsuit filed back in December alleges, much like the Carnival lawsuit that 'The company's ships, it added, are deliberately designed to ensure there are alcohol-serving stations "in every nook and cranny."'

Carnival's Response

'A spokesperson for the cruise company said on Tuesday that "Carnival Corporation respectfully disagrees with the verdict and believes there are grounds for a new trial and appeal, which it will pursue" in an emailed statement sent to the Miami Herald.'

Carnival's lawyers argued that there were no allegations of Sanders 'stumbling, sleeping at a bar, slurring her words or exhibiting any other intoxicated-like behaviours.'

Carnival also argued that Sanders 'does not sufficiently allege that any crew member knew or should have known that Plaintiff was intoxicated. ... There are no allegations regarding Plaintiff stumbling, sleeping at a bar, slurring her words, or exhibiting any other intoxicated-like behaviors.'