NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Barely one month after three Americans died while staying at an Airbnb in Mexico City, their families are in New Orleans Thursday morning to announce legal action against the international homestay service.
On October 30, high school friends Jordan Marshall and Kandace Florence, along with Marshall’s friend from New Orleans, Courtez Hall, were found dead in their high-rise Airbnb apartment while visiting Mexico for “Dia de Muertos,” or Day of the Dead. It was later revealed that the three died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The victims’ parents were in New Orleans Monday with nationally-recognized attorneys Michael Haggard and L. Chris Stewart, who has represented the families of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. Along with accepting full responsibility for their children’s deaths, the families demanded that Airbnb mandate the installation of a carbon monoxide detector in every unit the company rents out.
Thursday’s announcement was made from the steps of the JW Marriott Hotel in downtown New Orleans. Watch the full video on our Youtube channel.
Upon the announcement of the lawsuit, Airbnb released a statement:
“This is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones as they grieve such an unimaginable loss. Our priority right now is supporting those impacted as the authorities investigate what happened, and we stand ready to assist with their inquiries however we can.”
The company also claims that it runs a global program that gives away smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to eligible hosts at no cost.
“We encourage all hosts to confirm that they have a smoke and CO detector installed, and homes that report having a detector are clearly marked, so this information is visible to guests,” a spokesperson added. “Guests can also filter listings by homes that report having them. If a guest books a listing where a Host has not yet reported detectors present, we flag this so they’re aware and can take precautionary steps as needed.”
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