The Carnival Corp. Grand Princess cruise ship sits anchored off the coast of San Francisco, California, U.S., on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)
Thirteen lawsuits filed against Princess Cruises by passengers alleging "emotional distress" stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak on the Grand Princess cruise ship have been dismissed by the District Court for the Central District of California. The court determined the plaintiffs failed to prove that they were in the "zone of danger" sufficiently to warrant a claim for emotional distress.
The initial case
The Grand Princess, heading for Hawaii, originally departed from San Fransisco on February 21, 2020, with 2,422 passengers and 1,111 crew members on board. Two weeks after its departure, 21 individuals tested positive for the coronavirus. Three days later, while still on the ship, two passengers filed a lawsuit against Princess Cruises alleging negligence and gross negligence for failing to take necessary precautions and employ proper screening protocols to keep its passengers and crew safe and healthy. The couple, Ronald and Eva Weissberger, did not test positive for COVID-19, nor did they suffer any virus symptoms.
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