Congress·In Committee·S. 1423

Cruise Ship Accident Lawsuits: Hammers' Law

Hammers' Law

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

This bill, known as Hammers' Law, would change federal rules to allow families to sue for emotional damages if a loved one is harmed on a cruise ship. Currently, families are often limited in what they can recover after an accident in international waters.
Under the new rules, families could seek compensation for the loss of a loved one's care, comfort, and companionship. This is a major change because current laws often only focus on financial losses like lost wages or medical bills.
The law would apply to any cruise ship that carries at least 250 passengers, has sleeping rooms, and starts or ends its trip at a U.S. port. It does not apply to government-owned ships or small boats.
This change aims to treat cruise ship accidents more like airplane crashes. Right now, families of airline victims have more rights to sue for emotional loss than families of cruise ship victims.

2 milestones2 actions

Apr 10, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Apr 10, 2025

Introduced in Senate

1 bill

Hammers' Law

Apr 17 — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Hammers' Law

Bill NumberS 1423

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

(3)

D: 1R: 2

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

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