Airbnb to sue man who rented Ohio apartment where handyman was shot trying to break up party
Airbnb announced Monday it will sue the man who booked a Cincinnati apartment where a handyman was shot Aug. 16 trying to break up a party, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer, which is a part of the Paste BN Network.
The announcement comes shortly after the company said it would ban parties around the world at its properties, with an occupancy cap of 16 guests. It also said on Monday it was cracking down on house parties in Los Angeles; more than 50 listings in the area have been suspended or removed.
Stephen Knight, 31, was assaulted then shot in the 1300 block of Broadway Street in Cincinnati's Pendleton neighborhood, highlighting a widespread problem with Airbnb rentals being used for parties against the company's COVID-19 policy.
"The company notified the guest Friday of its intent to bring legal action, alleging negligence, violation of Airbnb’s Community Standards, and that the guest booked the listing under false pretenses," the company said in a statement. "Airbnb has removed the guest from the platform."
The suit has not yet been filed and Airbnb did not name the renter. According to Airbnb's terms of service, a lawsuit cannot be filed immediately against a renter. People must be given 30 days notice.
Ken Knight, Stephen Knight’s father, said the last week has been a difficult one. His son remains hospitalized. The bullet is still in his back because it’s so close to his spine that removing it would risk paralyzing him.
Doctors told the family Knight would recover, but may never regain full mobility, Ken Knight said.
“He’s in a lot of pain and discomfort,” Ken Knight said. “He’s not going to be able to go back to work for a while.”
The background of Airbnb's party ban
Last week, Airbnb announced a global ban on parties and events at properties listed on the site, with an occupancy cap of 16 people worldwide.
"This party ban applies to all future bookings on Airbnb and it will remain in effect indefinitely until further notice," according to a company statement provided by Airbnb spokesperson Ben Breit on Thursday.
The end of the house party? Airbnb bans parties and events worldwide, caps occupancy at 16 guests
Parties have been a problem for the short-term rental company for some time, both before and during the coronavirus pandemic. One party at a New Jersey Airbnb attracted more than 700 people.
As the pandemic began, the company removed its "event friendly" search filter and its "parties and events allowed" house rules from listings that had previously allowed them. It also required guests to follow local COVID-19 public health laws. This led to an effective patchwork ban on parties and events, according to the company. But as public health attitudes have shifted depending on COVID-19 rates, people have relaxed behaviors, including at short-term rentals.
Unauthorized parties were never technically been allowed on the platform, with 73% of its listings already banning them as part of their house rules. The company laid down stricter limits last year with a ban on "party houses" worldwide, i.e. "listings that create persistent neighborhood nuisance." It's also done manual reviews of what it considers high-risk reservations and restricted the rental permissions for guests under the age of 25 as part of its effort to get house parties under control.
There many be an exception to the new more-than-16-people policy: "We are currently scoping a potential exception process for specialty and traditional hospitality venues (i.e. boutique hotels)," per the company's statement. "Guests will be informed about Airbnb’s party rules and informed that they may be legally pursued by Airbnb if they violate our policy. This work is currently being operationalized and will be rolled out in the near future."
Airbnb acknowledges that 16 people is no "magic number," saying that it will "continue to enforce our party rules against groups of any size and will be taking action both on guests and listings if we receive reports from neighbors," the statement concluded. And given that the service largely runs on the honor system, it's likely guests will still try to get away with whatever they can.
'It was not a joke'
During the argument with the Airbnb guests, Stephen Knight called his father.
“Fathers do not expect to get a call from their son saying I have been beaten up and shot,” Ken Knight said. “’I was like, 'What?’ Then he said the police just got here. It dawned on me it was not a joke.”
Ken Knight said his son has three broken vertebrae and two broken ribs. He said there were many people around when the attack happened and someone needs to tell the police who is responsible.
Eric Haberthier leads the Greater Cincinnati Owners Airbnb Association. He said unauthorized parties are happening frequently in the city and owners are pleading with Airbnb and the police for more help.
"The word is out: Police response is slow or that they may not be available at all," he said. "So people are clearly emboldened to act in ways they never would have before in ways they never would have acted like before this year."
Chris Hikel owns the Airbnb where the shooting took place. He said he met with Airbnb executives Wednesday, during which he explained the issue owners faced.
"I think it’s important that these people face legal consequences for their actions," Hikel said. "I hope the police department considers looking at the criminal side of this."
This action by Airbnb is the second time this month the company has said it will sue someone who rented a property for an unauthorized party.
Last week, Airbnb announced it would pursue legal action against a person in the Sacramento area who booked a rental for an alleged party where three people were shot, Airbnb officials said.
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