Short-term rental juggernaut Airbnb is facing a new lawsuit after an infant died after ingesting fentanyl in a rented lakefront house listed on its platform.
A French family has been left heartbroken after their 19-month-old daughter died during their Miami vacation from an accidental fentanyl overdose.
Lydie and Boris Lavenir, of Guadeloupe – a French island – are now suing Airbnb over their daughter’s death.
After putting Enora down for a nap, she was found foaming at the mouth and blue in the face inside their rented Wellington, Florida, lake house in August 2021.
‘I am currently unable to determine how the child Enora Lavenir ingested the fentanyl,’ a final report read. ‘Therefore I am unable to develop probable cause for abuse or neglect leading to the death of Enora. Currently, the manner of death is listed as accidental.’
A Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office representative said the case is currently closed as deputies wait for leads.
The only thing investigators and the family knows for sure is the drug came from inside the Airbnb.
Enora’s parents both tested negative for the substance.
A legal expert, who spoke with the Washington Post, believes the family will have a hard time pursuing the lawsuit, as it will be difficult to prove the partiers were the source of the drug.
‘They can prove that the child died from fentanyl exposure, but where that fentanyl comes from, linking it to this particular group, that just sounds monstrously difficult under these circumstances,’ University of Florida Law Professor Lars Noah said.
However, the family’s attorney, Thomas Scolaro, isn’t intent on finding the source of the drug, but rather that Airbnb and the host are negligent in not properly cleaning the home between renters.
‘The only thing we have here is our common sense,’ the lawyer told the Post. ‘It was definitely in that unit, that Airbnb. Which particular person left the drugs is frankly not anything I’m trying to prove. What I want to show is Airbnb provided no cleanup, no warning, no measure of safety for the family.’
