A German court has ruled in favor of a guest who was kicked off a cruise ship for allegedly urinating in a glass.
The man, along with two fellow travelers, was denied re-entry back on a cruise ship during a port call.
They were told to make their own way home at their own expense.
Man Was Accused of Urinating in a Glass In a Bar
It came after other guests said they saw the man urinating into a glass at a bar and then left it on a table.
A crew member later said it smelled of urine when clearing up the table.
The man denied the accusation and later filed a lawsuit
Plaintiff Awarded Costs and Compensation
The court verdict found the cruise line treated him and the two other guests unfairly and ordered the cruise line to pay around €9,000, consisting of a partial refund of their travel expenses and compensation for cutting short the cruise vacation.
The Dusseldorf court said even if the accusation was true, the cruise line overstepped by kicking the men off the ship without warning.
Under the cruise line’s terms and conditions, only violent, discriminatory, or abusive behavior warrants immediate removal from the ship.
It was not a serious breach of the travel contract and a written warning should have been issued, the court said.
The court also found other issues with the cruise line’s conduct in the matter.
It waited three days after the incident to issue the removal order without warning, even though the ship had made a previous port call since the incident.
It also criticized the decision to remove the man’s travel companions even though they were not accused of any wrongdoing, based on witness statements.
Neither the plaintiff nor the cruise line has been named.
