Any time an accident happens on the water or in the ocean, a whole different set of laws come into play and that can cause a lot of problems for people who want to sue cruise lines for damages. The Herald Tribune reports.
A local lawyer’s parents were on the Grand Princess ship, one of the cruise ships that tested positive for the coronavirus. She sued the cruise line for breaching its duty to provide reasonable care after it was reported that a previous voyage had a death due to the virus.
However, the lawyer has an uphill battle. There are many laws at work against claimants that haven’t been updated since before the Titanic disaster. But that’s not stopping her from trying. So far, she has filed nine lawsuits on behalf of passengers.
Despite the dangers to passengers and crew, cruises are still happening around the world and spreading the virus around. They have a lot of legal protections because many ships are registered in countries outside of the US. This means they do not have to comply with things like the ADA, building codes, or safety features. They have no incentive to improve conditions.
We hope that in this extraordinary circumstance that the plaintiffs are successful.
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