An Airbnb guest is suing the worldwide website offering alternative accommodations after she allegedly found a Grafton rental infested with snakes.
Alton attorney John J. Hopkins filed the complaint in the Madison County Circuit Court on behalf of plaintiff Norah O’Brien against Airbnb Inc. and Linda Elliot.
According to the complaint, Elliot was the owner or manager of a property located at 247 North Cedar Street in Grafton and listed the property on Airbnb’s website for rental.
O’Brien rented the Grafton property from April 29, 2023, to May 4, 2023. However, she claims she found the property was “infested with snakes both in the floors and walls.”
The suit states that the defendants “were negligent in the operations herein, permitting the infestation of the snakes as forementioned and failing to properly inspect and detect the infestation prior to the plaintiff securing the residence.”
O’Brien claims she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and severe mental distress as a result of discovering the snake infestation.
She seeks more than $50,000, plus court costs and all other relief the court deems just.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 24-LA-534