If injured on a cruise ship, your legal remedies will depend on several factors: the extent of your injuries, the circumstances surrounding the accident, and your contract with the cruise line. Your cruise line ticket may contain limitations on liability for injuries, losses, or damages that occur during the trip, so you must be aware of these limitations before embarking.
Most cruise ship contracts geographically limit the range you can file suit to the courts in south Florida. For instance, if you’re from Oregon and took a cruise out of Miami, you must litigate the claim in south Florida because you contractually agreed to litigate solely in Miami. Next, your cruise ticket may specify a time limit to allege injuries sustained while on the ship. Typically, these time limits are much shorter than the statute of limitations normally imposed by law (cruise lines require you to file suit within a year). If you don’t act on your claim quickly enough, you will lose the opportunity to recover from the cruise line.
Recently, a woman lost their case (Perenich Law Injury Attorneys did not represent her) because she failed to inform the cruise line of her injury in writing within the 185-day time limit. If she had read her ticket and consulted a maritime attorney, she would have been able to hold the cruise line accountable for her injuries. Owen v. Carnival Corp., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 211974
(727) 669-2828
