A 19-year-old Toronto man who sustained serious gunshot injuries while attending an "Airbnb mansion party" last April is now trying to sue the popular short-term rental platform — along with several other people — for a total $5 million in damages.
Sean McCann, a student at Humber College, was partying with an estimated 50 to 100 other people at 4663 Dundas Street West in Etobicoke on Saturday, April 27, when shots rang out.
Another party guest is said to have opened fire in the approximately $1.9 million rented house, hitting McCann without warning in the lower back and buttocks.
The young man was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries around 1 a.m. that morning, according to police, though his condition was later upgraded.
Still, McCann's lawyer, Michael Smitiuch, says the student suffered a fractured pelvis and internal nerve damage.
Smitiuch Injury Law PC publicly announced today that McCann had filed a Statement of Claim in Toronto's Ontario Superior Court of Justice seeking damages from the shooter, the two women who organized the house party, the home's owner, and from Airbnb itself.
"While Airbnb operates in the online world, that does not give it impunity in the real world, where people are getting shot and killed at its house parties," said Smitiuch in a release on Friday. "It's about time Airbnb made protecting public safety a business priority."
Smitiuch is arguing that his client would never have been shot, had it not been for the negligence of the defendants.
"It's alleged that Airbnb allowed the sparsely furnished home to be promoted and rented through its website when it knew, or ought to have known that these homes are commonly used by guests and renters for parties that turn violent," reads Smitiuch's release.
"There's far too much focus on making money and far too little on proper policies and procedures to protect the safety of guests," said the lawyer.
"This case is about accountability, before someone else gets hurt or worse."
by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO
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