The New York Post reported in February 2018 that
A Bushwick tenant scored a fat $300,000 judgment against his landlord over a bed bug infestation — because the owner ignored repeated requests to help him get rid of the creepy crawlers, his lawyer said Friday.
Luis Cotto, 35, filed the suit on Jan. 23 against his landlord, Gouramety Jackson — claiming that there had been a bed bug problem in his apartment on Willoughby Avenue near Evergreen Avenue since August of 2015.
He alleged that Jackson had failed to fix the problem, despite a series of complaints.
Cotto claimed that he had suffered “severe and permanent damage to his skin” as a result of the bug bites.
The settlement is one of the state’s highest ever in a bed bugs case, said his lawyer, Bruce Baron.
Things really shouldn’t ever get this far. Solving bed bugs with a quality pest control company is really the best choice for landlords, tenants, neighbors, the community- in other words, everyone. Bed bugs cause health risks for residents, lead to psychological problems, spread throughout buildings and communities, and are more difficult and expensive to resolve for landlords as problems linger instead of being thorough and determined when a problem is discovered. This lawsuit proves that it’s not pennywise and merely pound foolish to fail to treat a bed bug problem.
Read the full article Landlord Forced To Pay Tenant $300,000 here.