Posted on July 28, 2009 with No Comments
We can’t make this stuff up. A woman from Germany thought because she has some one clean her house, they are also responsible if there is a spider in the house. This woman came home one day and spotted a spider in her garage. By reflex, she jumped back, causing her to fall and bruise her hip, and her face. She though because these cleaners were told to clear the house of cobwebs, her house would remain spider-free.
No matter how many cobwebs they remove it would not keep the house spider free, and this is how the court ruled. This woman would have been better off signing up for pest control, rather then her cleaners remove spider webs. No matter how clean any home is, it is still prone to possible pest activity.
Spiders are attracted to moisture; breeding areas include garages, basements, crawl spaces and bathrooms. Summer humidity will also drive these pests inside a home.
The woman lost the case against the cleaners.
Original story at BBC.co.uk
Posted on July 27, 2009 with 4 Comments
Bed bug populations have been on the sharp rise. Hotel and motel owners do not realize the severity level of bed bugs, and are paying the price.
Lawsuits are starting to pour in over bed bug infestations, one case from a motel on Staten Island, NY and one from a rented box spring from a Rent-A-Center.
A woman from Tennessee rented furniture from her local Rent-A-Center. Days later she found herself in a hospital. Bed bugs can cause an allergic reaction, which could land people in the hospital, however it is rare. Commonly a rash will appear around the bitten areas. A spokesperson from Rent-A-Center said that they sanitize all the furniture after every rental, and bed bugs activity is rare. They did not offer any assistance to the Tennessee woman who “was completely miserable, swollen and blistered, and she remembered the doctor saying, It looks like something ate you up.”
She is suing Rent-A-Center for over $500,000.
The second case that we saw is from a motel on Staten Island. A number of extended-stay customers are suing the motel owner. The 11 residents do not have the financial support to move out of the motel, forcing them to deal with the bed bugs. This infestation spread over the entire motel. The amount of money involved in this case was not made public.
With the rapid increase in bed bug populations, we will start to see an increase in lawsuits regarding them. Did the motel residents bring the bed bugs in? Did the Tennessee woman already have bed bugs in her home? These are questions that must be answered in a courtroom. Controlling bed bugs can be a bit pricey because of the labor involved in treatment. Preventative measures can be taken in establishments with the use of K-9 bed bug inspection services. Inspections should be done regularly to ensure your businesses’ reputation does not get ruined, or land yourself in court.
Rent-a-center original article and Staten Island original article.
