Carnival Cruise Line has been ordered to pay $300,000 to a California passenger after a federal jury found the company partly responsible for serving her at least 14 tequila shots before she suffered a serious fall aboard one of its ships.
According to the Miami Herald, the April 10 verdict came after a Miami jury concluded that Carnival failed to act once Diana Sanders, a 45-year-old nurse from Vacaville, California, became visibly intoxicated during a January 2024 trip aboard the Carnival Radiance. Court records show Sanders was served at least 14 shots of tequila over roughly eight and a half hours while the ship traveled out of Los Angeles.
Jurors determined that Carnival bore most of the blame for what happened next. According to the verdict form, the cruise line was 60 percent responsible, while Sanders was found 40 percent at fault. The jury ultimately awarded her $300,000—more than the $250,000 her legal team had requested.
Sanders’ attorneys argued that crew members continued serving her alcohol long after they should have recognized she was impaired. Less than an hour after her final drink, she allegedly fell and suffered a concussion, possible traumatic brain injury, back and tailbone injuries, headaches, and bruising.
The lawsuit alleged that Carnival has created an environment in which alcohol is central to the cruise experience. In the complaint, Sanders’ attorneys argued that the company “deliberately does as much as possible to encourage and facilitate alcohol consumption aboard its vessels,” adding that bars are placed throughout the ship to maximize alcohol sales.
Carnival pushed back throughout the 17-month case, arguing there was no evidence any crew member should have known Sanders was intoxicated. The company also said Sanders failed to identify which bartenders served her. After the verdict, Carnival said it plans to continue fighting the case.
“Carnival Corporation respectfully disagrees with the verdict and believes there are grounds for a new trial and appeal, which it will pursue,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
The case arrives just months after another alcohol-related lawsuit involving a major cruise line. In December 2025, the family of 35-year-old Michael Virgil sued Royal Caribbean, claiming he was served at least 33 alcoholic drinks during a trip aboard Navigator of the Seas before dying after an altercation with ship security and medical staff.
According to that lawsuit, Virgil became disoriented after drinking, then was restrained, pepper-sprayed, and injected with the sedative Haloperidol. His death was later ruled a homicide.
Royal Caribbean responded by saying, “We were saddened by the passing of one of our guests, worked with authorities on their investigation, and will refrain from commenting any further on pending litigation.”
