Diana Sanders, a 45-year-old nurse from Vacaville, California, has won a $300,000 lawsuit against Carnival Cruise Line after a federal jury in South Florida ruled in her favor.
The incident occurred in April 2025, when Sanders had 14 tequila shots on a Carnival Radiance cruise ship and fell down some stairs while intoxicated, suffering a possible traumatic brain injury.
The jury found Carnival Cruise Line 60% at fault and Sanders 40% for the incident, awarding her $300,000, which is significantly higher than the $250,000 she had initially asked for.
Carnival Cruise Line has disputed the charges, arguing that Sanders' inability to identify the crew member who overserved her or the bar where she consumed the alcohol disputes allegations of overserving.
The ruling is a rare case of a passenger winning a lawsuit against a cruise ship company, and while Carnival Cruise Line has rejected the verdict, the decision is not yet final and may be subject to appeal.
