When are cruise ship accidents and injuries covered under U.S. maritime law?

A: These cases generally fall under U.S. law when 1) the person involved is a U.S. citizen, 2) the voyage begins in the U.S. and 3) the contract is entered in the U.S.

Under Hellenic Lines Ltd. v. Rhoditis, 398 U.S. 306, 90 S. Ct. 1731, 27 L. Ed 2d 94 (1970), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that if a shipping company has a base of operations in the U.S. it is subject to U.S. law for a crewmember's personal injury claims even if said company incorporates in a foreign country and flies a foreign flag on the vessel. 

Cruise ship tickets also may contain information about jurisdiction and statute of limitations to file a lawsuit. For example, a Carnival Cruise Lines ticket specifies that a case "shall be litigated, if at all, before the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami."

Read our article "Cruise passengers should read the fine print on their tickets" in our article library here.