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Mediation between Carnival and Ruby Princess class action lawyers in August

Carnival executives will have mediation with Vicky Antzoulatos, who is leading the Ruby Princess class action for Shine Lawyers, and her team on August 26.

Helen Hutcheon, Australasia correspondent

May 4, 2021

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

If the parties cannot resolve the case, it will proceed to trial in the Federal Court of Australia on March 1, 2022.

Shine Lawyers filed the class action in July 2020 on behalf of passengers or their families and the estates of those who died over the handling of the COVID-19 outbreak on board Ruby Princess, which sailed on a round cruise from Sydney on March 8 last year. 

It is alleged that the outbreak of coronavirus on Ruby Princess, which docked on March 19, 2020, resulted from a failure to take appropriate measures to ensure that passengers were safe and protected from contracting the virus on the ship.  

Australian Consumer Law 

It is alleged this failure constitutes breaches of the cruise owner and operator’s duty of care to its passengers and of the consumer guarantees and other provisions of Australian Consumer Law.

There are more than 1,000 registrants in the class action. 

Exclusion sought

Meanwhile, it is understood that Carnival has filed an application to be heard May 20 and 21 in the Federal Court to exclude all overseas group members from the class action on the basis that they signed up to different contract terms to Australian and New Zealand passengers when they bought their tickets.

About the Author

Helen Hutcheon

Australasia correspondent

Helen Hutcheon did her cadetship on a shipping magazine and worked in P&O’s Sydney office for seven years as a public relations journalist.

For 19 years she was deputy editor of Travel Week, which was Australia’s leading trade newspaper that covered major local and international industry events.

In 2008 the late legendary Rama Rebbapragada presented her with an award from Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd ‘in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the cruising industry.’

In 2010 she won the Neil Frazer Award for ‘outstanding contribution to the cruise industry,’ elevating her to CLIA Australasia’s hall of fame.

She has been the Australasia correspondent for Seatrade Cruise Review since 1997 and for Seatrade Insider (now Seatrade Cruise News) since its launch in 2000.

 

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