A woman who claims the bartending staff gave her at least 14 shots of tequila on a Carnival cruise was awarded $300,000 after she fell down some stairs and allegedly suffered several injuries.
A Miami federal jury determined that the company’s negligence was responsible for the woman, a 45-year-old nurse, falling down the stairs.
The lawsuit claims that the woman was a passenger on the Carnival Radiance when she received at least 14 shots on one of the days of the cruise between roughly 2:58 p.m. and 11:37 p.m. According to the complaint, she fell between 11:45 p.m. and 12:20 a.m. and sustained a concussion, headaches, a possible traumatic brain injury, back injuries, tailbone injuries, bruising, and other injuries.
According to the woman’s lawyer, jurors saw 30 minutes of missing surveillance footage from the moment she left the casino bar until someone discovered her unconscious in a crew-only area.
During the trial, her attorney contended that the bartenders on the cruise ship should have stopped serving her as soon as they clearly saw she was drunk, according to Sky News.
Additionally, he claimed that in order to maximize profits, Carnival “deliberately designs its vessels … to ensure that there are alcohol serving stations in every nook and cranny of the ship.”
The woman ‘admitted her responsbility’ but still sued
“Proving the over-service of alcohol is often difficult, as many people believe individuals should be solely responsible for their own consumption,” the woman’s attorney told SkyNews partner NBC. “[She] admitted her personal responsibility; however, the core issue was Carnival’s refusal to accept any corporate responsibility for serving someone who was clearly intoxicated.”
The jury’s $300,000 award is $250,000 more than the requested amount. Carnival Corporation said in a statement that it respectfully disagrees with the decision and will appeal and seek a new trial.
“Taking on a corporate giant like Carnival is a massive undertaking, and I have enormous respect for my client’s resilience throughout this 18-month litigation,” KTLA News reports the woman’s attorney said after the verdict. “This case highlights the inherent dangers of all-inclusive drink packages, which encourage excessive consumption and pressure underpaid servers to prioritize tips over safety.”