Diana Sanders, a 45-year-old nurse from California, has been awarded $300,000 (£237,000) in damages after a jury found Carnival Corporation liable for over-serving her alcohol during a cruise. Sanders consumed at least 14 shots of tequila over eight and a half hours in January 2024 on a voyage from Los Angeles to Hawaii and Mexico, according to court documents.
The lawsuit, reported by The Miami Herald, claimed that Sanders suffered a severe fall due to her intoxication, resulting in a concussion, headaches, possible traumatic brain injury, and back and tailbone injuries. Her legal team argued that bartenders should have stopped serving her once she became visibly drunk.
Jurors assigned 60% of the blame to Carnival and 40% to Sanders, awarding her $300,000—exceeding the $250,000 originally sought. The cruise line had a duty of care to supervise passengers engaging in potentially dangerous behaviour, the documents stated.
In response, Carnival said it “respectfully disagrees with the verdict” and plans to seek a new trial or appeal. The company had previously tried to dismiss the case, arguing that Sanders failed to identify any specific crew member who over-served her or which bar was involved.
Carnival’s lawyers also contended that the lawsuit did not sufficiently allege that crew members knew or should have known Sanders was intoxicated, noting no mention of stumbling, slurred speech, or other signs. Successful claims against cruise operators are rare, with many failing to reach court.
