Three families are suing Airbnb after their loved ones died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a Mexico City apartment.
Jordan Marshall, 38; Kandace Florence, 28; and Cortez Hall, 33, were found dead in a vacation rental on October 30.
Atlanta-based trial prosecutors for Stewart Miller Simmons told DailyMail.com the wrongful death lawsuit is expected to be filed in California court within the next two weeks.
The lawsuit also seeks to force Airbnb to require that detectors be installed in all vacation rentals offered by the site.
Attorney Chris Stewart said: “With the lawsuit, we are trying to hold Airbnb responsible for the tragic loss of these three phenomenal people and we are also imploring, mandating, asking Airbnb to demand that all listings are equipped with carbon monoxide detectors. ‘
“Don’t make it optional, don’t suggest it to them, but they have the power to make it mandatory and save lives,” he added.
Virginia resident Kandace Florence flew to Mexico City to celebrate Day of the Dead festivities with two of her friends. On October 30, they were all found dead in the Airbnb apartment they were renting, after succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Jordan Marshall was among three Americans found dead on October 30 at an Airbnb in Mexico City due to carbon monoxide poisoning
Cortez Hall died alongside two of his friends while vacationing in Mexico City on Oct. 30
The trio were visiting the Mexican capital to celebrate Day of the Dead festivities. They had gone out for dinner and drinks on October 29 and returned to the apartment in the early hours of the morning on October 30.
Florence’s boyfriend, Victor Day, previously told El País newspaper that he had received messages from her saying she was feeling unwell before arriving at the apartment.
They then talked by video and the conversation broke off several times as Florence was vomiting. Day remembered that Florence was “shaking visibly” and wondered if she had left her drinks unattended while she was at the bar.
“Mexico is not a country where you can be negligent,” he warned. ‘It’s very dangerous.’
They ended the call so Florence could rest. Day tried to call back later, and when she didn’t answer, he called the Airbnb host and asked if he could do a checkup.
Later, he received the heartbreaking news that all three were dead.
The Mexico City attorney general’s office confirmed to DailyMail.com two days later that Florence, Marshall and Hall had ‘died of carbon monoxide poisoning’ and there was a strong smell of gas in the apartment .
El País newspaper reported that Kandace Florence texted her boyfriend “I feel like I’ve been drugged”. Like I took ecstasy, but I didn’t take it moments before he died in his Mexico City Airbnb on October 30
Cortez Hall’s family had only been teaching for a year at a charter school in New Orleans
Jordan Marshall was one of three Americans found dead in a Mexico City Airbnb on Oct. 30 due to carbon monoxide poisoning. The 28-year-old spent around six years teaching in Washington DC after graduating from Hampton University and took a job in New Orleans last year as a 12th grade English teacher. year.
Stewart said it’s unclear if the apartment has a carbon monoxide detector, but Airbnb should require every rental to have one that works.
“They offered their condolences, but we ask them to demand nationally in America and internationally that carbon monoxide detectors are needed,” Stewart said.
“They have banned parties on all Airbnb listings, nationally and internationally. They can easily do it with carbon monoxide,” he added.
The apartment in question was removed from Airbnb’s website listing page within days of the deaths.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, Airbnb said: “This is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with families and loved ones as they mourn such an unimaginable loss.” Our priority at this time is to support those affected as authorities investigate what happened, and we stand ready to assist them in their investigations however we can.
The company added that it launched a campaign in June aimed at rental hosts “to promote safety best practices”.
It intensified its efforts to expedite the delivery of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors which were provided free of charge.
“We encourage all hosts to confirm that they have installed a smoke and carbon monoxide detector, and homes that claim to have a detector are clearly marked, so that this information is visible to guests,” Airbnb said.
“Customers can also filter listings by homes that say they have them. If a guest books a listing where a (host) has not yet reported the presence of detectors, we report this so that they are aware and can take the necessary precautions.
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