Passengers sue cruise lines

COURTS in the US are beginning to rule on a number of cruise-related COVID-19 lawsuits, with verdicts this week clearly limiting the liability of operators for pandemic-related damages.

A Los Angeles federal judge delivered his verdict on Mon, in a case brought by the widow of a 71-year-old man who died in Apr this year after allegedly contracting COVID-19 on board Coral Princess, according to a report in insurance industry publication Insurance Journal.

The ruling cited the 1920 Death on the High Seas Act, which relates to incidents occurring “beyond three nautical miles from the shore of the United States” and which limits damages to “pecuniary” amounts such as how much the deceased contributed through wages or housework.

The report says in the case of retirees, that means any payout could be limited to “little more than burial costs,” dampening expectations of a bonanza for personal injury attorneys.

The man’s executors argued that since he died on shore the Act did not apply, but the judge dismissed all claims on the basis the alleged negligence occurred offshore.

The report also cited another recent US court decision in favour of Princess Cruises, where the judge ruled that mere exposure to COVID-19 was not grounds to sue for emotional distress.

In Australia, Shine Lawyers is still seeking registrations for a Ruby Princess Class Action from passengers on board, executors of anyone who contracted COVID-19 and subsequently died, as well as families of any ill or deceased passenger who have “suffered a psychiatric injury as a result of their loved one’s contracting the virus on the cruise”.