After a stay at SureStay Plus by Best Western in Morgantown, West Virginia, a family has filed a lawsuit over personal injury and monetary damages due to a bed bug infestation in the lodging.
This family of six stayed one night in the hotel on August 26, 2020. When they awoke the following morning, they counted over 100 bug bites between all of them. These bites were identified by an urgent care facility on August 27, 2020. Over the next several weeks, they endured pain, itching, and swelling from the infestation.
Their suit claims there was negligence on the part of the hotel’s staff and management, due to the failure to properly address a bed bug infestation. Damages stated in the suit include the medical expenses incurred, the scarring and physical injury, the price of the hotel room, and the replacement costs of all belongings exposed to bed bugs in the room.
The allegations state that the hotel “intentionally inflicted” distress on the family and the danger that the bed bug infestation posed to guest safety during their stay.
Allowing the family to book and stay in a room known to have bed bugs constitutes a “willful disregard” for safety and proper hotel maintenance.
The total amount of damages owed to the family has yet to be determined by the court.
This case was reported by Eric Cleavenger in the Dominion Post on August 30, 2022.