The carnival tequila lawsuit verdict resulted in a $300,000 award to Diana Sanders, a 45-year-old nurse from Vacaville, California, after a Miami federal jury found Carnival Cruise Line negligent in overserving her alcohol.
According to the lawsuit, Sanders was served at least 14 shots of tequila between approximately 2:58 p.m. and 11:37 p.m. aboard the Carnival Radiance, and later suffered a fall that caused a concussion, headaches, a possible traumatic brain injury, back and tailbone injuries, and bruising.
Jurors were told Sanders was found unconscious in a crew-only area after leaving a casino bar, and her attorney said the defense presented evidence that included about 30 minutes of missing surveillance video for the interval when she left the bar and was later discovered, according to the plaintiff's lawyer.
In the verdict, jurors assigned a portion of responsibility to Sanders and a larger portion to Carnival, and the award exceeded the amount the plaintiff had sought, as reported by The Independent and court documents.
Company Response And Related Litigation
Carnival Corporation issued a statement saying it respectfully disagrees with the verdict and believes there are grounds for a new trial and appeal, which it will pursue, according to media reports.
Sanders' attorney Spencer Aronfeld said he admired his client's resilience and argued the case highlighted the risks of all-inclusive drink packages and pressure on servers to prioritize tips over passenger safety, as quoted in The Associated Press.
Court records reported by The Independent show Carnival had sought dismissal, arguing the complaint failed to identify a specific crew member or bar and did not allege visible intoxication such as stumbling or slurred speech.
The case was reported alongside other cruise litigation, including an ongoing wrongful death lawsuit against Royal Caribbean that alleges a passenger was served dozens of drinks and later died after crew members restrained him, as noted by The Associated Press.
