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A Carnival Cruise passenger has won $300,000 in damages after claiming he was served more than 14 tequila shots over an eight-hour period by a crew member.
Diana Sanders filed a lawsuit in Florida federal court seeking damages from Carnival Corporation, alleging that she drank too much alcohol while on board the Carnival Radiance in January 2024, even though she was clearly intoxicated.
According to court filings, Sanders said he fell down the stairs and suffered serious injuries in the incident.
After a week-long trial, a federal jury in Miami returned its verdict on April 13. Jurors found both Carnival and Sanders at fault for the incident, but found the cruise line 60% responsible for the woman’s injuries.
Carnival said in a statement that it “respectfully disagrees with the ruling” and plans to appeal the ruling.
Lawsuit alleges cruise crew offered alcohol to woman despite ‘behaving in a belligerent manner’
According to the complaint, the crew served Saunders 14 drinks over an eight-and-a-half hour period. Sanders’ attorney, Spencer Aaronfeld, said in a TikTok video that the drink was a shot of tequila.
Sanders, a California resident, was “shaky, stuttering, slurred speech, had alcohol on his breath, and was acting belligerent” in front of the crew, according to the complaint.
“Carnival crew members should not have continued to serve her alcohol while she was exhibiting visible signs of intoxication,” the complaint states.
Sanders then stumbled down the stairs while intoxicated, sustaining injuries including a concussion, back damage and “extreme emotional distress,” according to the complaint.
In court filings, the carnival said it was negligent in causing Saunders’ injuries and did not realize the dangers of consuming alcohol.
Lawyer says overservice in alcohol cases is ‘very difficult’
Aaronfeld said in a TikTok video that Sanders lost consciousness during the incident and woke up at the bottom of the stairs “not knowing exactly how he got there.”
Sanders claimed that after he woke up, he tried to call for help from the crew.
“I was so worried that they wouldn’t tell me exactly what happened to me, so I went to get a lawyer to get the tapes and find out what happened,” she said.
She said it was an “amazing feeling” to receive the verdict in her favor. Aaronfeld said he specializes in suing cruise lines, adding: “Over-service when it comes to alcohol issues is very difficult.”
“Passengers have a responsibility to drink responsibly, but cruise lines also have a responsibility to serve responsibly,” he said.
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. X Keep up with her at @melinakh and on Instagram @bymelinakhan.
