Princess Cruise Passengers File COVID-19 Lawsuit

Emily Sortor | May 5, 2020

Category: Covid-19

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Passengers have filed a lawsuit against Princess Cruise Lines and Carnival, saying that they developed COVID-19 while aboard a cruise ship.

The Princess Cruise Lines lawsuit was filed by Farah and Mohammed Toutounchian who say that they were aboard the cruise ship the Diamond Princess, which set sail on Jan. 20.

Allegedly, Princess Cruise Lines was aware that there was a risk of contracting coronavirus aboard the ship, but instead of warning passengers, the companies chose to sail the cruise ships despite knowing about the risk of contracting the virus.

The Toutounchians explain that an outbreak of COVID-19 occurred on the Diamond Princess while they were aboard.

They note that, at that time, the World Health Organization reported that cases of COVID-19 had been discovered in Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. At the same time, China’s government allegedly created an emergency task force to deal with the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan, China.

Nonetheless, the Diamond Princess allegedly set sail for a 15-day cruise the same day, beginning and ending in Yokohama, Japan. The Toutounchians explain that the cruise was set to sail within 800 miles of Wuhan twice during the course of the journey.

The couple asserts that the cruise operators were negligent in how they handled the coronavirus outbreak.

Allegedly, the cruise operators received warning of the severity of the outbreak, but did not take adequate measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus on board the ship. This reportedly included sending passengers into dense communities during excursions and returning passengers to the ship each day.

The plaintiffs say that the staff went so far as to lie to passengers, saying locals were wearing masks because they liked them, not to protect themselves from the outbreak.

Additionally, when passengers docked in Hong Kong, they were falsely told by staff that the city was quite not because social distancing measures were in effect, but “because of the Chinese New Year.”

Protections were allegedly lacking both during excursions and aboard the ship.

The Toutounchians say that the ship staff did not take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus throughout the ship through the food served, the entertainment offered, or the contact had between passengers.

The cruise ship COVID-19 lawsuit also says that, instead of screening passengers, they were merely asked if they were sick with a flu or fever when they boarded the ship.

On Feb. 1, five days into their 15-day cruise, a passenger who had been on the ship tested positive for COVID-19.

The passenger had allegedly been taken to a hospital in Hong Kong when the ship docked.

The next day, crew members reportedly began showing symptoms.

After this point, the plaintiffs say that more passengers on the ship became infected but the cruise sailed as scheduled.

It was not until Feb. 5 that passengers were quarantined to their cabins, say the Toutounchians.

Allegedly, even at this point, the crew did not take adequate measures to protect passengers. Then, the ship was reportedly docked with passengers quarantined on board between Feb. 7 and Feb. 23.

According to the Diamond Princess lawsuit, the operators’ failure to heed reasonable warnings about the risks associated with the coronavirus led more than 700 passengers and crew to be infected with the virus, including the Toutounchians.

The passengers explain that, between Feb. 7 and Feb. 23, the Diamond Princess contained the “largest cluster of COVID-19 cases outside of mainland China.”

Allegedly, passengers were injured and even killed because of the cruise operators’ negligence. The couple explains that at least 10 people infected with the virus on board the ship died of the disease.

The Toutounchians say that, because of their infections, they were hospitalized for 30 days. They explain that because of their illness, they have become permanently disabled. Their injuries allegedly included respiratory problems and hearing loss.

According to the passengers, Princes Cruise Lines could have taken steps to protect passengers, including stopping the cruise from sailing. However, the company allegedly put profits ahead of passengers’ health and, in so doing, exposed the public to a deadly virus.

Other passengers have also filed lawsuits making similar claims.

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The Toutounchians are represented by James Urbanic of Urbanic & Associates Inc.

The Princess Cruise Line COVID-19 Outbreak Lawsuit is Farah Toutounchian, et al. v. Princess Cruise Lines LTD, et al., Case No. 2:20-cv-03717, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division.