Florida man sues Carnival over alleged burns from hot pool deck
A Florida man is suing Carnival Corporation for $5 million, alleging he suffered severe second-degree burns to his feet after walking barefoot on a hot pool deck aboard the Carnival Magic last year, according to a newly filed lawsuit obtained by ABC News.
Jorge Luis Alverio Nunez filed the complaint in the Southern District of Florida earlier this month, claiming he was injured while vacationing aboard the cruise ship in May 2025.
The lawsuit claims Nunez was on the ship's lido deck near the pool area when he walked barefoot about 20 steps from the pool back to his chair to put on his shoes.
The suit claims the deck surface had become "unreasonably and dangerously hot," and allegedly caused Nunez to suffer second-degree burns to both of his feet.
"Nunez did not know, nor could he reasonably have known, that the deck surface had reached a temperature capable of causing second degree burns within a matter of seconds," the suit claims, stating that Carnival allegedly "failed to provide warnings about the dangerously hot deck" and "allowed the open deck of the Lido Deck of the Carnival Magic to remain in a dangerous condition for an extended period of time."
Nunez experienced "pain and suffering, infection, extensive medical treatment and will require additional treatment into the future" as a result of his burns, the suit claims.
The lawsuit also alleges Carnival had prior notice of similar incidents involving hot deck surfaces across its fleet.
The suit alleges at least 25 passengers suffered burns on Carnival cruise ship decks between 2019 and 2025, while at least 42 others complained about excessively hot decks or burned feet.
The complaint states that the decks in question were constructed with API Syntheteak polyresin material. It alleges Carnival received information from the manufacturer dating back to 2014 about the material's ability to become dangerously hot.
ABC News has reached out to API for comment.
Nunez accuses Carnival of negligence, failure to warn passengers and continued use of allegedly dangerous deck material.
The lawsuit also seeks punitive damages, alleging the company "willfully, wantonly, and recklessly" failed to address the alleged hazard despite prior complaints and alleged injuries.
Nunez is seeking damages in excess of $5 million and has requested a jury trial.
Carnival declined to comment when reached by ABC News, citing pending litigation.
