Woman wants to sue cruise ship passengers that were on ‘hantavirus ship’: ‘The cheapest ticket for that cruise was $16K btw’

In early May 2026, at least 25 passengers who had potentially been exposed to hantavirus returned to the United States. Now, they can add a new detail to their list of worries: a potential lawsuit.

In a video with over 6.2 million views, TikToker Teresa (@teresa_jack) says that if any of the passengers aboard the MV Hondius break quarantine and infect others, she plans to sue them.

“In this society, threats work better than requests. I just want to let you know personally that if you get off that boat and you bring that virus back to America, knowing that you have been exposed, and you don’t quarantine for the 8 weeks wherever you are, I will sue you personally,” she says.

Teresa claims to have already spoken to a lawyer about the matter. 

“I will sue you and I will open it up as a class action lawsuit,” she states. “We will all sue you. Every single one of us will go after everything you have.”

People Are On Board

Soon after the video went viral, Teresa posted a link to a Google Form. There, people could pledge that they will donate money to a legal fund in the case of a lawsuit. While no money has been collected, Teresa says in follow-up videos that the total amount pledged is in the millions.

While there are no current, concrete plans for a lawsuit, Teresa’s passion for the matter is serious.

“I know that you’ve been through something traumatic… I got COVID and I almost died from it — I’m immunocompromised,” she says in her video to those exposed. “But if you are selfish enough to only think about you in this circumstance … I will sue you.”

Under this video, users offered their support for Teresa’s mission.

“No because in THIS economy if you got sick on an expensive vacation… that’s not my problem bro,” offered a user.

“I lost my teenage years to Covid im not losing my 20’s to Hanta,” declared another.

One added that the people involved likely had deep pockets. They claimed that “The cheapest ticket for that cruise was $16K btw.” This does not appear to be true, though the cheapest tickets did cost several thousand dollars.

How Did This Hantavirus Lawsuit Come About?

In an Instagram direct message exchange, Teresa says part of the inspiration for this lawsuit came from her “best friend, who runs an indoor playground in Cape Coral, Florida called The Little Burrow.”

“We talked on the phone about how a national quarantine would force her to close her business and default on her loan within a week. It would ruin her life and a vital asset to the children of her community,” Teresa says. “As she spoke about how unfair that is, I asked myself, ‘Who is accountable for that grave personal damage?’ And we have a criminal lineup of individuals to take to court.”

After further consideration, the threat of a lawsuit against those who may spread the virus seemed like a possible route to explore.

“I’m a lifelong believer that you create your own reality and that we are in charge of our own destiny. The last decade has really challenged that belief for me, as so much of Covid and this current administration was so completely out of our control. It feels like things are constantly happening to us and we are powerless,” Teresa writes.

She Makes It Clear

“During COVID, we didn’t really have a blueprint, and we just watched as our way of life and economy was destroyed. I considered what action I could take to prevent a giant outbreak and save millions of lives, and the answer was a legal one,” she continues. “If it’s out of our control, and we are in jeopardy of losing our business, our homes, and our lives with nothing we can do to stop it… is that someone’s fault? And if someone is at fault, can we claim damages?”

“This is a case of a contained virus being potentially spread globally through the actions of a few irresponsible individuals and unqualified leaders. The rest of us have a right to defend ourselves,” she concludes.

Can You Really Sue For This?

The answer to that question is a bit complicated.

To start, there are two groups of Americans in the United States who were on the MV Hondius. One group departed the ship before the Hantavirus was detected aboard the ship. The other group is those who are returning after the virus was detected.

The latter group is currently quarantining in specialized units in Omaha, Nebraska and Atlanta, Georgia. It’s unclear if this is voluntary or legally mandated. That said, the group is complying with quarantine restrictions. However, reports say they may be allowed to leave quarantine before the 42 days are over. This is provided that they meet certain conditions.

The former group, however, is not under strict quarantine. Instead, they are simply required to check in with local health officials, though states claim they are monitoring the situation.

So, if someone from either group were to infect anyone else, Teresa plans to pursue legal action against them.

The Reality Of A Lawsuit About The Hantavirus

So, can Teresa bring a suit against people who infect others with the Hantavirus? Technically speaking, yes—though it’s not likely to go very far.

If someone knew they were ill and infected another person due to a lack of care, this could meet some standards of criminal negligence.

That said, actually proving this would be pretty difficult. Teresa would likely only have a case if she was directly affected by the issue—as in, if she became infected with the virus. Furthermore, she would need to be able to identify and prove a specific causal link between her case and the infected person.

There is some legal debate and limited precedent regarding liability in cases involving viral spread. However, that may not be the point of Teresa’s potential lawsuit.

“Ideal outcome is no action!” she explains. “We want our threat to be enough to scare the individuals into taking responsibility or face taking accountability.”

“Our ideal scenario is that this greatly unfortunate infection of one of the most lethal viruses known to science is controlled using appropriate precautions and protocols. But when you have exposed individuals refusing to self-isolate, those efforts are wasted,” she adds. 

Community Action Has Worked Before

Teresa says that, in areas where the government has proven ineffective, the pressure turns to the community to step in.

“If the government doesn’t step in to protect us, then they have also failed us,” she states.

In this specific case, “If things go downhill, I think our best case scenario for the lawsuit is finding a way to get RFK out and make the powers that be remember that Americans won’t go down without a fight.”

There’s significant precedent for coordinated social media action influencing changes in public health practices. For example, one of the reasons the Flint water crisis garnered so much attention was the work of LeeAnne Walters and other women. They pushed for investigations into the city’s water supply. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Monica Lewis-Patrick and We the People of Detroit committed to delivering water to those who needed it. The city later committed to ending its water shutoffs.

For the time being, the CDC states that such actions are not yet necessary. “The overall risk to travelers and the American public remains extremely low,” they said.

@teresa_jack UPDATE: a form is in my bio! Go there for most recent info!! We are gathering information should we need it. ? I am not a lawyer and this is not signing up for a lawsuit. But I’m going to defend myself this time however I can. Community defends community. @Jake | Travel | Boston ✈️?️ hi! Here are the terms of the lawsuit. If you come back to America before the 8 week quarantine and someone is infected by any of you, we’re suing. Hope everyone is okay. But you have a responsibility right now. #hantavirus #hantaviruscruise #hantaviruspassengers #mvhondius #pandemic ♬ original sound – Teresa Jack

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