Carnival must pay passenger $12 million after she accuses crew member of rape

A woman who accused a Carnival crew member of rape during a 2018 cruise will receive more than $12 million from the major cruise carrier after a lengthy legal battle, a judge ruled last week.

Judge Kathleen Williams set the outrageous sum of money Friday after the alleged victim claimed Carnival employee Fredy Anggara lured the woman, then 21, into a closet, locked the door and sexually assaulted her aboard the Carnival Miracle on Dec. 1, 2018, according to a complaint filed in 2019.

According to legal documents, after unlocking the door, the woman “immediately ran to her room.”

“The attacker caught up with her and asked her to let him go back to her room,” the complaint states. “(The woman) refused his request. When (the woman) got to her room, she burst into tears and told her friend what had just happened.”

According to court documents, a jury awarded her $10 million in damages in 2022, and after Carnival appealed the verdict, Williams added another $2 million to it.

According to Friday’s court ruling, Carnival owes the plaintiff, known only as Jane Doe, $12,367,229.

The woman was pleased with the outcome of the case, her lawyer, Daniel Courtney, told the Daily Mail, which first reported the compensation payout.

“This is an important day for my client and, I hope, for all victims of sexual assault who see that justice, although sometimes difficult to achieve, is possible in our country,” he said.

Although the passenger pocketed an eight-figure payday, Anggara was never arrested in connection with the alleged incident. He is also not named as a defendant in legal proceedings.

As CNN reported at the time, in 2022, a jury found Carnival liable for unlawful imprisonment and sexual assault by a crew member.

However, the jury reportedly did not find that Carnival was negligent in the assault and that the crew member did not intentionally intend to cause emotional distress to the alleged victim.

In 2022, a Carnival crew member admitted to having sex with a passenger, but it was consensual, according to the Washington Post, “consistent with the FBI investigation.”

Anggar was fired because cruise ship workers are not supposed to socialize with guests.

Courtney told the Washington Post that his client was “very intoxicated” and had a “concussion” during the alleged rape after hitting her head in a fall.

“To say it was consensual is really hurtful to her,” Courtney argued.

The Post has reached out to Carnival and Courtney for comment.