Supreme Court rules 8-1 that cruise lines are liable for using confiscated Cuban docks

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 on May 21, 2026, that Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC cruise lines face up to $440 million in combined damages for using Port of Havana docks from 2016 to 2019 — docks Cuba confiscated from Havana Docks Corporation in 1960 with 44 years still remaining on its concession. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for eight justices that Title III of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act makes any commercial user of confiscated Cuban property liable to original claimants, even after their specific ownership interest has expired. The ruling vacated the Eleventh Circuit's reversal and remanded the case; Justice Elena Kagan dissented alone, arguing the majority allowed plaintiffs to recover for property that was no longer theirs.