Philadelphia Lawyer Explains - Who Would Or Should - File Cruise Claims
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The first lawsuit against Carnival Cruise Lines was filed on Friday and more are expected in the coming days.
In her lawsuit, Cassie Terry claims she was promised four days of fun in the sun. Instead, she alleges she got five days of hell including sweltering temperatures, long food lines and the horrific odor of human waste.
"Each case has to be looked upon individually."
Philadelphia attorney Jeffrey Reiff of Reiff & Bily says Carnival is offering passengers a free trip and $500 cash to settle their claims. He says it may be worth it to some to take the deal since most passengers have limited injuries, but for others he says - not so fast.
"You have elderly people or people that are not in the best of health, if they were exposed and have a more serious reaction to the conditions, it may not make sense to settle."
He says it may be hard to find a lawyer to take these cases, unless the injuries involved are severe. He says given the relatively low dollar amount of the claims, a class action could be a viable alternative.
