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Ruby Princess class action grows as cruise ship ban lifts
As Australia’s cruise ship ban prepares to lift, the number of people who have signed up to the Ruby Princess class action has increased to well above 1,000.
Naomi Neilson
Later this year, Carnival and Princess Cruise Lines will face court over their handling of a coronavirus outbreak on the Ruby Princess that resulted in deaths and potential “long-COVID” symptoms for at least 30 per cent of its passengers.
In April, the federal government will officially reopen the cruise ship industry, in circumstances where “Carnival is still vigorously defending this class action”.
“Carnival is getting on with their business, however, the lives of many passengers and their loved ones will never be the same,” Ms Antzoulatos said.
“These are people that put their trust in Carnival to keep them safe. The very least these passengers deserve is for Carnival to compensate them and their loved ones for injuries many of them will never recover from as a result of contracting COVID.”
Shine Lawyers will allege that the defendants broke Australian consumer laws by breaching consumer guarantees when they engaged in conduct that was misleading and deceptive. The firm also alleges that the operators of the cruise ship were negligent and failed a duty of care to provide passengers with a safe environment.
In the last two years, an inquiry was held and a report released into the Ruby Princess COVID-19 disaster. In August 2020, then-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said the tragedy “should and never will happen again” in the state.
The inquiry commissioned by the NSW government into the Ruby Princess laid blame on NSW health officials, who made “inexcusable, inexplicable” mistakes.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
