Cruise ship passengers win COVID outbreak lawsuit

• Stewart said he had concluded that "cancelation of the cruise would not have been so burdensome that a reasonable person in the respondents' position would not have cancelled" it.
• "I have found that the respondents by their conduct made misleading representations that it was reasonably safe for passengers to embark on the cruise," he added.

The big picture: Some 700 people contracted COVID-19 on the Ruby Princess, which is operated by the Carnival-owned Princess Cruises.

• The class action lawsuit accused Carnival and Princess Cruises of breaching Australian consumer law and "duties of care to passengers."
• Carnival said in a statement to media that it had seen the judgment and was considering it in detail. "The pandemic was a difficult time in Australia's history, and we understand how heartbreaking it was for those affected," it added.

Zoom out: Cruise ships were an epicenter for COVID outbreaks at the start of pandemic, resulting in the U.S. and other governments issuing no-sail orders before the industry staged a comeback following vaccine rollouts, and it's now in high demand.

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.