Allowing cruise ship passengers to sue over emotional distress because they could have been exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic would “open the door to open-ended liability,” according to Princess Cruise Line Ltd. in a court filing this week.

The motion to dismiss, filed Tuesday in 13 cases brought on behalf of more than 40 passengers, is the first substantive response that Princess Cruises has filed in court since the coronavirus prompted the filing of dozens of lawsuits. Citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1997 decision in Metro-North Commuter R. Co. v. Buckley, Princess Cruises says that case law prohibits the plaintiffs, none of whom contracted COVID-19, from suing for fear of exposure to the coronavirus.