The Los Angeles Public Health Department immediately tested the water supply, but told the manager they could stay open as long as they provided bottle water and warned guests not to drink the tap water.
The results of the testing showed no harmful bacteria in the tank or the pipes, according to Angelo Bellomo, director of environmental health for the department. Chlorine in the city's water may be the reason it is safe, he said last week....
New guests continued to check into the Cecil in the hours after firefighters removed Lam's body from the water tank. But each guest was asked to sign a waiver releasing the hotel from liability if they become ill.
"You do so at your own risk and peril," the hotel's release said.
March 1, 2013
Lawsuit against the hotel that had a corpse in its water tank for perhaps as long at 19 days.
A class action has been filed against Los Angeles' Cecil Hotel.
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18 comments:
You are all people who want to stay in LA. That's Were you made your mistake.
I think I'll go make myself a cup of tea.
Every tragedy contains some bit of good. Usually for lawyers.
It calls for a stiff drink.
A tribute to the world's greatest disinfectant: chlorine. Still the go-to guy for biohazards.
IANAL, but it would seem to me that the plaintiffs (the Colts) would need to actually be able to prove some damages beyond merely the fact that they allege the water was "defective" in some manner. They are apparently seeking medical costs in the astounding sum of $100 ("...or possibly more"), which suggests that they haven't yet found a medical professional who can come up with any real injuries and establish a fee for his/her services in doing so.
I tend to think that part of the hotel's defense will be that the Colts could not have reasonably expected an entirely wholesome stay at a hotel that only charges $75/night for two people in the heart of Los Angeles.
IANAL, but it would seem to me that the plaintiffs (the Colts) would need to actually be able to prove some damages beyond merely the fact that they allege the water was "defective" in some manner. They are apparently seeking medical costs in the astounding sum of $100 ("...or possibly more"), which suggests that they haven't yet found a medical professional who can come up with any real injuries and establish a fee for his/her services in doing so.
I tend to think that part of the hotel's defense will be that the Colts could not have reasonably expected an entirely wholesome stay at a hotel that only charges $75/night for two people in the heart of Los Angeles.
Unknown, I think you underappreciate the nuances of the modern legal system. I'm traumatized enough just reading about the incident that I'm considering looking for a shark to get me some loot.
If only to give the owners a jolt, it seems reasonable.
Perhaps there's a negligent infliction of emotional distress claim. Possibly strict liability. In my opinion this boils down to foreseeability. Maybe they should have locked up the tanks. That is, reasonable hotel maintenance requires regular checks and security measures be taken to ensure the purity (relatively speaking) of the hotel's water supply. It may be reasonably foreseeable that failure to do so could result in the water becoming toxic in some way thus causing harm to guests. In this case the harm is the emotional distress associated with knowing you drank water contaminated by a corpse.
Wow. I've heard of not drinking the Kool-Aide, but now the water is unsafe, too?
rhhardin: "It calls for a stiff drink."
Now that's funny.
What's the damages? If they didn't tell you, you would never know there was a problem. Can you be sued just for telling the truth about such a thing?
"Lawsuit against the hotel that had a corpse in its water tank for perhaps as long at 19 days."
Some places charge extra for that.
Did a clown die in your water tank?
This water tastes funny.
So who does the Hotel get to sue?
The Hotel (as far as I can tell) didn't do anything wrong, but the Hotel is likely going to have more real damages than any of the people who might have drank or bathed in chlorinated water.
Soylent Green Tea.
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