What's better than a free cruise, a free $500 check and free gas money? How about $5,000 a month for the rest of your life?
A group of 33 passengers is suing Carnival Cruise Lines after they were stuck in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico last year. They were stranded with no engine power, air conditioning or working toilets, and food and water were scarce. (Via NBC)
Carnival Cruise's ship Triumph was returning from Mexico last February when a fire knocked out the ship's electricity, engine power and plumbing. CNN famously dubbed the ordeal the "Poop Cruise." (Via ABC)
Now, some of the passengers say they continue to experience medical problems and emotional distress, like PTSD and anxiety, and want $60,000 per year to cover their medical bills. (Via KTRK)
The media reported many of the cruise passengers' stories last year, and it's hard not to sympathize. But the media has also been pretty unified in declaring the $5,000-per-month demand just way off the mark.
"Can I do like you guys do and put my hands on my hips and say 'this is outrageous?' It's outrageous."
...
"I cannot believe they're asking for $5,000 a month for life ... These are opportunistic plantiffs looking for a big payday." (Via KTTV)
And Fox News's Andrew Napolitano agrees, saying if he had been assigned a case like this when he was a judge, he'd have thrown it out.
"The test is what Carnival knew before the boat left. Not the harm that happened to these passengers. ... But they'll never get $5,000 a week or a month or anything like that for life. They courts just don't do that."
Carnival's lawyers say the passengers suing the company have not proved their problems were caused by the cruise and that they're not entitled to damages.
