She Graduated Summa Cum Laude. Two Weeks Later, Carnival’s “Hand-Selected” Operators Drugged Her With Spiked Drinks, Directed Her Into The Water, And Then Started The Boat’s Propellers

MIAMI, FL, June 12, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ — Brais Law Firm and Scolaro, P.A. have filed an Amended Complaint and Jury Demand on behalf of their client, Hannah Smith, a 22-year-old woman, against Carnival Corporation d/b/a Carnival Cruise Line (“Carnival”), Pearl Investment Management Group, Ltd. (“Pearl Island”), and Sun Cay, Ltd. (“Sun Cay”), in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (Case No. 1:25-cv-25952-WPD, before the Honorable William P. Dimitrouleas). The lawsuit arises from a catastrophic incident on May 12, 2025, just two weeks after Hannah Smith graduated summa cum laude from college, during the “Pearl Island Beach Escape with Lunch” Carnival Adventure excursion in Nassau, Bahamas. All statements herein are allegations from the Amended Complaint.

Per the Amended Complaint, Carnival’s own promotional website represented that it “hand-selected the best local providers at every port of call,” that its operators are “reliable [and] reputable” with the “best reputation” in their respective ports. The excursion was sold aboard the Carnival Celebration and operated by Carnival’s shoreside contractors, Pearl Island and Sun Cay, as part of Carnival’s branded “Carnival Adventures” program.

As alleged in the Amended Complaint, upon arriving at Pearl Island, excursion bartenders immediately plied Hannah Smith and her companions with “copious and unsafe amounts of alcohol,” beginning with a 16 oz. complimentary Rum Punch and followed by three coerced “liter pours”; an inverted plastic liter bottle of alcohol mixed with a drug poured directly into her mouth. Unaware the drinks had been spiked with a drug, she became impaired. As further alleged, the same employees also furnished marijuana and, as recently discovered, surreptitiously spiked her drinks with a drug-facilitated-sexual-assault (“DFSA”) and sedating substance. All of this occurred within approximately one hour and eleven minutes. Her estimated effective blood alcohol content exceeded four times the legal limit.

During the return trip to Nassau aboard the Sun Cay Catamaran Ferry, Hannah asked a crewmember for a restroom and was told to “use the water,” consistent with earlier instructions on the island that “the ocean is your toilet.” Grossly impaired and following those instructions, she entered the water from the ferry’s aft dive platform. The captain, stationed at a raised helm station with an unobstructed view of the platform, then engaged the ferry’s engine, causing the propeller to turn in reverse. With no warning and no crewmember present, Hannah Smith was violently sucked into the propeller.

The propeller caused an immediate traumatic amputation of Hannah’s left leg below the knee and catastrophic injuries to her right leg, ultimately requiring three successive amputations culminating in a complete hip disarticulation; the removal of the entire right leg. Per the Amended Complaint, Hannah lost over 60% of her total blood volume, underwent more than 25 surgeries, and was hospitalized at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital for more than two months. Her medical care is alleged to exceed ten million dollars. Hannah Smith now faces permanent bilateral lower-extremity loss and lifelong physical, psychological, and financial consequences.

As alleged, complaints of extreme alcohol overservice and marijuana distribution on this excursion predated Hannah Smith’s injuries by at least six years. Prior reviews document a Catamaran Ferry failing to properly tie off with engines running during passenger disembarkation, a passenger’s leg injury from the boarding gap, and a post headlined “Avoid this dangerous dump” advising guests to “avoid if you value your safety.” Carnival’s own bridge officers, the Amended Complaint alleges, could observe these dangerous ferry practices directly from the bridge wings of the Carnival Celebration at the Nassau pier. The Amended Complaint further alleges Carnival deleted and suppressed negative passenger reviews of this excursion from its website.

The Amended Complaint asserts claims against Carnival for negligent selection and retention of the Excursion Entities, negligent supervision, failure to warn, general negligence, apparent agency, and joint venture liability. Direct negligence claims, including overservice of alcohol, distribution of controlled substances, and DFSA spiking are asserted against Pearl Island and Sun Cay. Both Pearl Island and Sun Cay have filed motions to dismiss asserting lack of personal jurisdiction.

Despite everything taken from her, Hannah Smith has chosen to use her experience in the service of others. In 2026, she was invited to speak as a keynote survivor at the HCA Florida Trauma Survivors Luncheon, addressing medical professionals, fellow survivors, and community supporters. Anchored by an unshakeable faith in God, Hannah spoke not about what she had lost, but about her sense of responsibility to help others, demonstrating that survival is not the end of a story but the beginning of one.

Watch Hannah speak at the 2026 HCA Florida Trauma Survivors Luncheon, as featured by LiveNOW from FOX: “College Graduate Who Lost Both Legs Speaks Out” — LiveNOW FOX | Full FOX News coverage: LiveNOW FOX Article.

“Hannah graduated summa cum laude and was two weeks into celebrating that achievement when Carnival’s own hand-selected operators spiked her drinks with a substance used to impair intended victims, poured alcohol down her throat, and then directed a grossly impaired young woman into the water alongside a ferry whose captain was using running engines to hold the vessel in position because it had never been properly tied off,” said Keith S. Brais, Board Certified Admiralty and Maritime Attorney (The Florida Bar, 1996) and Hannah Smith’s lead counsel at Brais Law Firm. “The evidence raises serious questions about what Carnival knew, what it ignored for years, and what it actively concealed from its own passengers.”

“This is not just a case about one young woman’s injuries — devastating as they are,” added Thomas “Tom” Scolaro of Scolaro, P.A., co-counsel for Hannah Smith. “It is about an industry practice of placing revenue over passenger safety and hiding the evidence of that choice from the very people who trusted a major cruise line when it told them these were the best operators it could find.”

⚠ CALLING ALL WITNESSES ⚠

Brais Law Firm and Scolaro, P.A. urgently seek anyone with firsthand knowledge — particularly from before May 12, 2025 — of: excessive alcohol service or marijuana distribution on the Pearl Island excursion; DFSA substances added to any passenger’s drinks; unsafe or dangerous embarkation/disembarkation practices aboard the Catamaran Ferry (including ferries that did not properly tie off or ran engines during passenger boarding/disembarking); or inappropriate or sexual conduct by any Pearl Island or Sun Cay employee. All inquiries held in the strictest confidence.

1-800-499-0551 | ✉ info@braislaw.com

To support Hannah’s recovery and ongoing care, please visit her GoFundMe campaign: “Support Hannah’s Endless Adventures”.

Read more about this story on Brais Law Firm’s website.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This press release reflects allegations contained in the Amended Complaint filed in Case No. 1:25-cv-25952-WPD, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. All claims are alleged only and have not been proven in court. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until adjudicated otherwise. Prior results in other matters do not guarantee a similar outcome. This communication is issued by counsel for Plaintiff Hannah Smith.

Keith S. Brais — Board Certified in Admiralty and Maritime Law, The Florida Bar (1996). Principal attorney, Brais Law Firm (Brais & Associates, P.A.), 9300 S. Dadeland Blvd., Suite 101, Miami, FL 33156. www.braislaw.com

Thomas “Tom” Scolaro — Principal attorney, Scolaro, P.A., serious personal injury and wrongful death. www.USinjury.law

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