In what is believed to be the largest-ever bedbug-related verdict, Brian Virag of MyBedBugLawyer secured $3.5 million on behalf of 16 current and former residents of Park La Brea Apartments in Los Angeles, California. The verdict was announced Dec. 28, 2017, following a five-week jury trial in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The plaintiffs brought suit against the PLB Management, which operates the 4,200-unit apartment complex. According to a news release, the plaintiffs had occupied eight different units that were exposed to bedbugs between 2011 and 2013. The jury found PLB Management negligent and in breach of contract for their handling of the bedbug situation that had been ongoing at the complex since 2008. The jury returned verdicts ranging from $77,000 to $850,000 for each unit that had been exposed to what Virag called “blood-sucking vampire insects.”
Although the medical bills in this case were less than $2,200, the jury awarded millions of dollars to the plaintiffs for the emotional distress, sleeplessness, anxiety and humiliation in having to live with bedbugs. This was Virag’s fourth bedbug-related verdict of the year.
“Hopefully, these verdicts will help landlords and hotels do the right thing when people complain about being bitten by bedbugs and take proactive steps to protects their guests and tenants,” he said.
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