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Family of Man Who Died of COVID-19 After Grand Princess Cruise Sues Carnival, Princess

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The coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess cruise ship passes underneath the Bay Bridge on its way to dock in Oakland on Monday, Mar. 9, 2020. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

Two family members of a man who died of COVID-19 are suing Carnival and Princess Cruises for allegedly concealing information about an outbreak on board.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Ronald Wong, who boarded the Grand Princess cruise ship in San Francisco on Feb. 21, 2020 for a trip to Hawaii with his wife, Eva, in celebration his 64th birthday.

"Unbeknownst to Eva and Ronald when they boarded, the cruise ship had been infected with the coronavirus," said lawyer Nanci Nishimura, who filed the suit. "What they also didn't know? That there were 62 other passengers from the previous Mexico cruise and the 1,000 crew members who were also exposed to the coronavirus onboard the Hawaii cruise."

The complaint alleges that Carnival and Princesses Cruises staff were aware of the potential infection on board, and allowed them to board anyway.

"They knew what was going on," said Nishimura. "It was spreading already, it was worldwide already. It didn't need a special label like 'pandemic.' These people knew and they also knew from prior experience that a cruise ship is like a petri dish."

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The lawsuit, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, is seeking damages for negligence, wrongful death and a survival action.

Princess Cruises would not comment on pending litigation.

— Michelle Wiley (@MichelleEWiley)

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