U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein tosses $21.5M verdict in Holland America cruise-injury case for Illinois man James R. Hausman

A federal judge Tuesday in Seattle threw out a $21.5 million jury verdict awarded to an Illinois man who claimed he was injured during an around-the-world cruise in 2011, after the man’s former assistant came forward to say he had intentionally deleted emails that could have hurt his case.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein ordered a new trial, saying she found the assistant’s testimony at a hearing last month credible — and that newly uncovered emails expose “grave inconsistencies” with James R. Hausman’s story.

Hausman, of Springfield, Ill., sued Seattle-based Holland America Line in 2013. He said he had dizziness and seizures after an automatic sliding-glass door improperly closed and struck his head as the vessel approached Honolulu. After a two-week trial in October, a Seattle jury awarded him $21.5 million.

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