$800K Infestation Court Award: Landlord Asked To Pay

Bedbugs can cause some serious harm physically and financially. A woman living in Annapolis was recently awarded $800K, yes, $800,000 for living in a bedbug-ridden apartment. Apparently, the owner of the property refused to rectify the problem.

According to her lawyer, the 66-year-old lady rented the apartment in September of 2011. She was completely unaware that the building was in violation for a bed bug infestation because the landlord Cornelius J. Barrett did not reveal that information.

After she moved in, the elderly tenant developed a rash, complete with scabs and lesions. She asked Barrett what the cause could be but he claimed not to know. The woman’s lawyer stated “Every night blood sucking parasites would come into her bed and feed upon her.”

To make the situation even more atrocious, the lady was evicted from the apartment a little over 8 months after signing the lease. Barrett reportedly tossed her bed bug infested belongings out on the street.

A county jury sympathized with the tenant during a civil trial, awarding her double the amount she had asked for.