Louisiana Resident Sues Carnival Cruise Line After Slip and Fall on Condensation on Stairs Aboard Carnival Liberty
Rooseveta Johnson, a citizen and resident of Louisiana, has filed a personal injury lawsuit against Carnival Corporation d/b/a Carnival Cruise Lines in the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division. The lawsuit, filed on December 8, 2025, under Case No. 1:25-cv-25724-BB, seeks damages in excess of $75,000. Johnson alleges she suffered severe and permanent injuries after slipping and falling on condensation on an onboard staircase while attempting to disembark the M/S Carnival Liberty on December 10, 2024.
Passenger Injured on Crew Staircase Due to Undetectable Condensation
The incident occurred as Johnson was descending a staircase from Deck 1 to Deck 0 in order to disembark the Liberty for an excursion. The staircase was ordinarily used by crewmembers, and Deck 0 is identified as a crew deck. However, Johnson and her excursion group were directed by Carnival crewmembers to use this staircase.
The complaint asserts that a hazardous condition existed on the staircase due to condensation. This condensation posed a slipping hazard, but was not apparent to reasonable passengers and was not detectable to a reasonable person not focused on surface inspection, meaning the condition was not open and obvious. Furthermore, the steps of this staircase allegedly lacked non-slip materials. Johnson slipped on the last step of the wet staircase and fell.
As a direct result of the fall, Johnson sustained serious injuries, including a right quadriceps tendon rupture requiring surgical repair and a displaced supracondylar fracture of the left humerus. She incurred medical expenses, pain, disability, and loss of capacity to enjoy life, with these damages alleged to be permanent or continuing in nature.
Carnival Allegedly Failed to Maintain Dry Stairs and Violated Internal Warning Policies
The lawsuit brings two counts of negligence: Negligent Maintenance and Negligent Failure to Warn. The Negligent Maintenance claim states that while the Liberty was in port in Panama, Carnival allowed condensation to accumulate for an extended period of time on the interior deck and staircase near the gangway. Carnival allegedly failed to inspect and maintain the staircase with sufficient regularity to prevent this accumulation.
The complaint provides evidence of Carnival’s knowledge of the hazard. Carnival’s actual and/or constructive notice came from the presence of a crewmember on Deck 0 near the staircase who was actively mopping the nearby deck every few minutes, and from multiple other crewmembers who were in the immediate vicinity engaging in a drill. Despite this awareness, Carnival allegedly violated its own policies, including a “Two Minute Trainer,” which mandates placing a caution sign “Whenever there is a wet floor” to advise guests of a potential hazard. Despite this, the crew failed to post signage, cones, cordons, or warnings, nor did they give verbal or written warnings to passengers that the stairs were wet from condensation. Carnival is also alleged to have known that the degree of slipperiness of wet staircases is not readily apparent to passengers and that wet, slippery conditions on staircases are a repetitive and recurring issue across its fleet.
Prior Condensation and Staircase Fall Lawsuits Cited
The complaint references two prior substantially similar incidents on Carnival ships to support the claim of actual or constructive notice: a passenger who slipped and fell on an interior staircase during disembarkation on the Carnival Pride in August 2024, and a passenger who slipped and fell on condensation in the interior of the Carnival Valor (a sister ship to the Liberty with a similar design) while embarking in March 2023. The Plaintiff also asserts that Carnival regularly resolves cases with confidentiality clauses to shield the facts of prior incidents from public sources, suggesting concealment of substantially similar incidents that would only be determined through discovery.
Plaintiff Seeks Damages for Permanent Injuries
The Plaintiff, Rooseveta Johnson, demands judgment against Carnival Corporation for compensatory damages, interest, and costs, and demands a trial by jury on all issues.
Passengers directed by cruise line staff to use crew areas or stairs that are improperly maintained and un-warned face unnecessary risks. Cruise lines are required to exercise reasonable care to maintain walking surfaces, especially when internal policies mandate warnings for wet floors. If you or someone you know was injured due to poor lighting or unreasonably dangerous steps on a cruise ship, contact a Florida cruise ship injury attorney to discuss your rights under maritime law.
Contact us now to speak with a cruise ship slip and fall attorney.
Disclaimer: Our firm does not represent the plaintiff in this case and is not involved in the litigation. The information provided is a summary of allegations based on publicly available court filings. We make no representations about the truth of these allegations, are not commenting on the merits of the case, and are not predicting any outcome.
