SCRANTON - The brother of a woman who died after falling down the stairs of a house rented through Airbnb is suing the company for wrongful death.
Claudio Berti, executor of the estate of Maria Orecchia, argued Airbnb is liable for the death, along with the owner of the house, Luna Barakat. The suit, filed Aug. 9 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, claims both defendants had a duty to maintain the property advertised on the company site.
The brother and sister, from Idaho, had planned to rent the house in Allentown for two weeks in November 2017.
But two days after arriving, in the early hours of the morning, Orecchia fell down the stairs to the basement, suffering fatal head and other injuries. She died nine days after the incident.
The complaint said the house rental company is responsible as it owned, operated, or controlled the "improperly designed, constructed, deteriorated, and inherently defective basement stairs."
"Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of Ms. Orrechia. Safety is a key priority, and we will be prepared to defend against the allegations in this complaint," Airbnb spokesman Ben Breit told the Pennsylvania Record in a statement.
Owners of properties rented out through the company can buy host protection insurance coverage of up to $1 million, applicable in certain cases when a guest suffers an injury, according to its website.
It states that the plaintiff's brother visited the site and relied on the company to make sure the property was safe. Among the attractions advertising was the basement laundry.
The "dangerous condition" of the stairs and the failure to maintain and warn was the responsibility of the defendants, and the deceased woman played no part in her own death, the complaint argued.