Families of tourists found dead in Mexico Airbnb plan to file lawsuit, demand safety changes in properties

By Shay O’Connor

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    NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — A news conference was held Thursday with the mothers who lost their children last month in Mexico to carbon monoxide poisoning at an Airbnb.

The parents of Courtez Hall, Jordan Marshall and Kandace Florence along with an attorney discussed the investigation as well as the mothers’ call for carbon monoxide detectors in all Airbnb properties.

The families plan to file a lawsuit against Airbnb just one month since the three tourists died in the apartment they were renting in Mexico.

Lawyers for the families have requested a meeting with Airbnb officials to discuss a mandate for detectors in their properties. The families are also calling for an FBI investigation into their children’s deaths.

The mothers also urge anyone renting an Airbnb ahead of the holiday season to check their properties for working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

According to the lawyer representing the families, Airbnb does not mandate carbon monoxide detectors in their listed properties.

Hall was a social studies teacher at Kipp Morial School, and his mother said she got the dreaded call of her son’s death on her birthday.

Airbnb has not confirmed the reports of carbon monoxide exposure and said it is suspending that listing in Mexico City and canceled any upcoming reservations.

Airbnb released this statement to WDSU:

“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.”

Background

We have suspended the listing and canceled upcoming reservations as we investigate. We are in touch with the Host and providing our support. We have been in touch with the US Embassy regarding this tragedy. We can convey the following regarding our work on CO detectors:

Our global teams work each and every day to promote safe travel for our community. We run a global detector program, giving away combined smoke and CO detectors at no cost to all eligible Hosts. To date, over 200,000 Hosts globally have ordered a detector through this program. In Mexico, Airbnb has worked with the Secretariat of Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection of Mexico City to launch an information campaign aimed at Hosts to promote safety best practices. In addition, we introduced updates to our free global smoke and CO detector program to expedite shipments for Hosts in Mexico. 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. 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. Stay with WDSU for the latest updates on the situation.

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