Woman who took 15 tequila shots on cruise awarded $300,000
(NYT) — A woman who fell and injured herself after she drank 15 shots of tequila in just over eight hours on a Carnival cruise has been awarded $300,000 in damages by a federal jury in Miami.
The woman, Diana Sanders, a nurse from Vacaville, California, sued Carnival in 2024, arguing that bartenders on her cruise had been negligent for continuing to serve her shots even though she was visibly intoxicated.
She had asked for $250,000 in damages, but was awarded $300,000 on Friday, after a weeklong trial.
Carnival said in a statement that it “respectfully disagrees with the verdict” and that it planned to appeal.
On Jan. 5, 2024, Sanders was traveling with two friends on a three-day Carnival cruise from Los Angeles, Aronfeld said. All three had paid for the “Cheers!” drink package, which allows Carnival passengers 15 alcoholic drinks in a 24-hour period.
Between 2:58 p.m. and 11:37 p.m., Sanders drank 15 tequila shots across four different bars on the cruise ship, Aronfeld said.
Around midnight, Sanders left the casino bar, where she had consumed her last five shots, fell down stairs and ended up in a crew area.
Aronfeld said Sanders had head injuries and bruising and had experienced emotional distress. She sued Carnival in November 2024, she said, to find out what had happened to her before she fell.
She said in her lawsuit that Carnival’s bartenders should not have continued to serve her shots while she was visibly intoxicated.
The jury found that Carnival was 60% responsible for Sanders’ injuries, while she was 40% responsible, and awarded her $300,000 in damages for her emotional pain, suffering and mental anguish.
National Public Radio receives $133 million from two gifts
(NYT) — NPR said Thursday that it had received two gifts totaling $113 million, including the largest donation from a living donor in the network’s history.
Connie Ballmer, the philanthropist and co-founder of the Ballmer Group, a philanthropic organization she leads with her husband, billionaire former Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer, gave NPR $80 million for its digital innovation efforts. An anonymous donor gave $33 million to the NPR Network, a web of affiliated public radio stations across the United States.
“I support NPR because an informed public is the bedrock of our society, and democracy requires strong, independent journalism,” Connie Ballmer said in a statement. “My hope is that this commitment provides the stability and the spark NPR needs to innovate boldly and strengthen its national network.”
Last year, Congress clawed back $500 million in annual funding from public broadcasters, sending hundreds of stations scrambling. NPR was somewhat insulated from the direct financial impacts of that decision, because a small fraction of its budget came directly from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the government-funded company that gave away funds to NPR and PBS stations. But the ripple effects still have taken a toll.
Katherine Maher, NPR’s CEO, said in a statement that she hoped the gifts would inspire others to donate and “ensure public media remains strong for generations to come.” She added that the money would help NPR reach its audiences where they are.