A Channel 9News report says that Ruby Princess passengers involved in a class action against parent company Carnival were left shocked by the defence provided by Carnival, that Ruby Princess passengers who caught COVID-19 knew the risks, with 71-year-old Jennifer Philips, pictured right by 9News saying, “Poppycock, There was not an inkling of COVID when we boarded”.
The report says that Mrs Philips and her husband George both contracted COVID-19 on board added, “If we had known then
we wouldn’t have taken the trip”, with the report adding, that in documents presented to the Federal Court, Carnival claims the Philips and hundreds of others share the blame for their infection, with twenty-eight people dying from coronavirus linked back to the cruised, and hundreds more were infected with the virus.
The document which summarised a collection of Carnivals’ defences is reported to read, “The Applicant and the Passengers owed a duty to take reasonable care for their own safety, and not to act in a way which put themselves at risk”, with Ruby Princess passengers involved in a class action against parent company Carnival left shocked by the defence provided by the cruising giant.
Vicky Antzoulato, the class actions practice leader with Shine Lawyers said the defence statement specifically mentioned the passengers, “eating self-service food”, “participating in activities on the ship in close proximity to others” and “failing to wear a mask” adding, “Essentially they say that the risk of contracting a contagious disease was obvious and that passengers should have known about that risk”, and, “If I was one of the people that have had their life torn apart by COVID-19 I’d be rightfully outraged.”
The report says that’s exactly how Julie and George Philips feel and that Julie said from her home near Wollongong, “The breathing – that’s all gone kaput” adding, “You’ve got to learn how to breathe and energy-wise, no it’s not there”, and “It is a life changer”.
The report says that the class action is scheduled to go to mediation in August with a trial set down for March 2022.
An edited report from 9News by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor.
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