A federal jury in Miami ordered Carnival Cruise Line to pay $300,000 to a California woman who was overserved alcohol and subsequently injured on one of its ships. The jury found Carnival 60% liable for negligence after Diana Sanders, a nurse from Sacramento, consumed at least 14 shots of tequila over eight-and-a-half hours before falling down a stairwell.
Key Takeaways
A federal jury ordered Carnival Cruise Line to pay $300,000 to Diana Sanders, who suffered injuries after being served 14 tequila shots in eight hours on the Carnival Radiance. The jury found Carnival 60% liable for negligence.
- Jury rules Carnival overserved alcohol leading to passenger's fall and injuries.
- Sanders received $300,000 but may receive more after appeal.
- Cruise line plans to appeal the verdict.
Sanders, who was aboard the Carnival Radiance in January 2024, suffered severe injuries including a concussion, headaches, and possible traumatic brain injury. The lawsuit alleged that crew members continued to serve her despite visible signs of intoxication.
The jury's decision came after Sanders filed a lawsuit against Carnival for refusing to provide video footage of the incident. According to court documents, Sanders was served drinks at six different bars on the ship. She claims she blacked out and woke up at the bottom of a crew-only stairwell with unexplained bruises.
Carnival plans to appeal the decision, stating it respectfully disagrees with the verdict and believes there are grounds for a new trial. Sanders' attorney Spencer Aronfeld emphasized that cruise lines have a responsibility to serve alcohol responsibly and highlighted the dangers of all-inclusive drink packages.
How this summary was created
This summary synthesizes reporting from 4 independent publishers using AI. All sources are cited and linked below. NewsBalance is a news aggregator and media literacy tool, not a news publisher. AI-generated content may contain errors or inaccuracies — always verify important information with the original sources.