Woman Awarded $300,000 After Falling on Carnival Cruise

Jury finds cruise line 60% responsible for injuries after serving 15 tequila shots

Apr. 16, 2026 at 11:08pm

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A bold, colorful silkscreen-style illustration of a cocktail glass repeated in a grid pattern, representing the excessive alcohol consumption that led to a passenger's injuries on a cruise ship.A jury's $300,000 award to a woman over-served alcohol on a Carnival cruise highlights the responsibility cruise lines have to monitor passenger intoxication.Vacaville Today

A woman from Vacaville, California has been awarded $300,000 in damages by a federal jury in Miami after she fell and injured herself on a Carnival cruise ship. Diana Sanders sued the cruise line, arguing that bartenders continued to serve her shots even though she was visibly intoxicated, having consumed 15 tequila shots in just over eight hours.

Why it matters

The case highlights the responsibility cruise lines have to monitor and limit alcohol consumption by passengers, especially when they appear to be heavily intoxicated. While passengers have a duty to drink responsibly, cruise lines can be held liable if they continue serving alcohol to someone who is clearly impaired.

The details

On January 5, 2024, Diana Sanders was traveling with two friends on a three-day Carnival cruise from Los Angeles. All three had purchased the 'Cheers!' drink package, which allows 15 alcoholic drinks per 24-hour period. Between 2:58 pm and 11:37 pm, Sanders drank 15 tequila shots across four different bars on the ship. Around midnight, she left the casino bar, where she had consumed her last five shots, fell down stairs and ended up in a crew area. Sanders sued Carnival, arguing the bartenders should not have continued serving her when she was visibly intoxicated.

  • Between 2:58 pm and 11:37 pm on January 5, 2024, Sanders drank 15 tequila shots across four different bars on the cruise ship.
  • Around midnight on January 5, 2024, Sanders fell down stairs after leaving the casino bar.

The players

Diana Sanders

A 45-year-old nurse from Vacaville, California who was traveling on a Carnival cruise and sued the cruise line after falling and injuring herself.

Carnival

The cruise line that was sued by Sanders and found 60% responsible for her injuries by the jury.

Spencer M. Aronfeld

The lawyer who represented Sanders and specializes in suing cruise lines.

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What they’re saying

“I was really happy' with the jury. I felt like the whole time they saw right through what the defense was trying to do, how they tried to defame my character — things they brought up that had nothing do with the case. They were just trying to criminalize, bully me and make me look like a bad human being.”

— Diana Sanders

“Passengers have a responsibility to drink responsibly. But cruise lines also have a responsibility to serve responsibly. And when you serve somebody who is visibly intoxicated repeatedly — drink after drink after drink — it can lead to disastrous consequences.”

— Spencer M. Aronfeld, Lawyer

What’s next

Carnival says it plans to appeal the $300,000 jury award to Sanders.

The takeaway

This case highlights the need for cruise lines to better monitor and limit alcohol consumption by passengers, especially when they appear to be heavily intoxicated. While passengers have a responsibility to drink responsibly, cruise lines can be held liable if they continue serving alcohol to someone who is clearly impaired.