Q: My 65yr old mother lives in a building that wont do anything about the severe bed bug infestation. Legal action?
The building is owned and operated by a city housing authority, Its been in and out of the news due to the bed bugs. I was bitten the first night and reported it and now over a year later its infested so bad. The maintance wont take out the infested mattresses and furniture. There is not a single sign informing the residents to not take old stuff from garbage upstairs. when I reported it they threatened eviction even though there is a moritorium and told me to leave cuz all i am doin is spreading the bugs by being there.
A:
A Washington attorney could advise best, but you await an answer for two weeks. In terms of the eviction-related elements of your matter, a landlord-tenant attorney would need to advise on that. In terms of the tort-based elements involving bed bugs, they are tough cases and many attorneys are reluctant to take them on. The defense could argue many different sources for the bugs. And the injuries often always rise to the level of damages that justifies the cost of prosecuting the matter in court with medical experts, etc. These challenges are likely to be worsened with the current health crisis. You could see if you could get an initial consult from an attorney, but despite the ordeal that the situation has put you through, the practical aspects make for a difficult case to take on. Good luck
Tim Akpinar
A:
I'm sorry. A minute ago, I wrote:
"And the injuries often always rise to the level of damages... "
I meant to say " ...the injuries DON'T always rise to the level of damages... "
I apologize. I should have read it more carefully.
Tim Akpinar
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