COVID-19 "Fear Cases" Against Princess Cruises Dismissed by California Federal Court

Last week, the District Court for the Central District of California granted a Consolidated Motion to Dismiss filed by Princess Cruise Lines (Princess Cruises) all thirteen cases filed by cruise ship passengers suing for emotional distress stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak on the Grand Princess cruise ship, due to the plaintiff’s failure to prove that they were in the “zone of danger” sufficiently to warrant a claim for emotional distress. The initial case that was filed is Weissberger v. Princess Cruise Lines Ltd, No. 2:20-CV-02267-RGK-SK.

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 the launch, forty-six individuals on the cruise were tested, and twenty-one of those people tested positive. 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 COVID symptoms.