Plaintiffs Firm Launches Australia's First COVID-19 Class Action Against Cruise Ship Operator
Shine Lawyers is suing the operator of the Ruby Princess cruise liner over an outbreak of 700 COVID-19 cases including 21 deaths.
July 27, 2020 at 05:15 AM
2 minute read
Australian plaintiffs law firm Shine Lawyers is suing the operator of the Ruby Princess cruise liner over the outbreak of COVID-19 on the ship in the country's first class action related to the pandemic.
Around 700 novel coronavirus cases and 21 deaths have been linked to the Ruby Princess cruise, which docked in Sydney on March 19, said Vicky Antzoulatos, class actions practice leader at Shine Lawyers.
The firm is seeking compensation through the Federal Court of Australia on behalf of passengers, their families, and the estates of those who died.
All 2,700 passengers who traveled on the Ruby Princess voyage which departed from Sydney on March 8 are eligible to join the class action, as are relatives who have suffered a psychiatric injury as a result of the events that occurred, Antzoulatos said.
The class action alleges Anglo-American cruise operator Carnival Plc. and subsidiary Princess Cruise Lines Ltd. breached the Australian Consumer Law requirement to carry out services with due care and to carry out services which are fit for their intended purpose.
"We say that Carnival and Princess Cruises knew of certain facts and risks, such as the fact that there are 158 people with corona-like symptoms on the previous cruise and it didn't disclose those matters to the incoming passengers and the failure to warn of the risks was misleading and deceptive conduct under the Australian Consumer Law," she said.
So far the firm has had about 800 inquiries, she said.
The action is Australia's first coronavirus-related class action, Antzoulatos said, but added the firm is also investigating a class action in relation to an outbreak of the virus at the Newmarch House aged care home, where an outbreak in April caused 19 deaths.
The NSW government is holding a Special Commission of Inquiry into how the Ruby Princess outbreak became one of Australia's largest sources of novel coronavirus.
Princess Cruise Lines has not responded to a request for comment.
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Business Groups Move for COVID-19 Lawsuit Protections Even as Grievances Stack Up
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