A Florida couple aboard the ship that docked in California Monday with 21 confirmed coronavirus patients is suing Carnival Corp.’s Princess Cruises, saying the company put passengers in danger.
Ronald and Eva Weissberger of Florida’s Broward County are seeking more than US$1 million in damages, according to their complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court.

The couple claims the company continued the voyage even after it learned that passengers on a previous sailing of the same ship had shown coronavirus symptoms. Princess sent emails on Feb. 25 warning passengers from the previous voyage of potential exposure, according to the complaint.

The Grand Princess announced March 4 it was cutting short the cruise and returning to San Francisco. But the ship was then forced to circle off the coast, while state and federal officials searched for a place where it could be brought to land without infecting people nearby.

Princess Cruises also operated the Diamond Princess cruise, which was quarantined for a time in Yokohama, Japan, as more than 700 people tested positive for coronavirus.

“It would only stand to reason, that having experienced such a traumatic outbreak on board one of its vessels less than a month prior to the current voyage on board the Grand Princess, that the defendant would have learned to take all necessary precautions to keep its passengers, crew and the general public safe,” according to the complaint.

The Weissbergers alleged the company didn’t have adequate screening protocols in place before the trip.

Princess said it had not received any lawsuit on the matter and could therefore not comment.

“Our response throughout this process has focused on well-being of our guests and crew within the parameters mandated on us by the government agencies involved and the evolving medical understanding of this new illness,” the company said in an email. “We have not received any lawsuit relating to this matter and therefore cannot confirm whether such an action has been initiated.”

The case is Weissberger v. Princess Cruise Lines Ltd., 2:20-cv-02267, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Los Angeles).