News: $1M Lawsuit Over Apartment Bats
(Long Island, N.Y.) Sources stated that a fifty-six-year-old and twenty-three-year-old pair of female tenants brought a claim to a Manhattan Supreme Court involving a $1 million suit against their landlord. The tenants moved into their fifth-floor Washington Heights apartment on July 25th. Less than a week later, they noticed bats inside their Fort Washington Avenue home.
On July 31st the tenants grew scared, nervous, and upset due to the bat infestation, which was something that their landlord claims is an exaggeration of truth. Since the bats, the pair has been staying at the home of a relative in a cramped two-bedroom apartment. They have undergone painful rabies shots in an Emergency Room at Lenox Hill hospital.
Reports stated that they are scheduled to undergo multiple shots over a period of weeks because one of them discovered two marks on her arm that could have been from a bat. The tenant believes that whatever caused the marks might have done so while she was sleeping. However, some believe that the tenant would have known for sure if she had suffered from a bat bite.
The tenants paid thirty six thousand dollars for a year’s worth of rent and fees, including a security deposit. The money went to Fairline Management, who declined to comment on the case. The monthly charge for rent is roughly twenty-five-hundred dollars.
During the first bat incident, a super from the building was able to catch the animal in a plastic bag and allegedly got rid of it. One of the tenants had found it flying in her apartment. Reports stated that the tenants have suffered from severe anxiety and trouble sleeping.
The second incident occurred days later when the tenants heard weird noises coming from their window and noticed that the curtain had been moving. They had been getting ready for bed when a bat flew directly at one of them from behind the curtain. The targeted tenant screamed before running from the room and slamming the door, leaving behind her purse, money, and cell phone.
It was after the second sighting that the aggravated tenants turned to their landlord to make a complaint. Sources claimed that the tenants believed the landlord wasn’t concerned with their troubles. They stated that he promised to get back to them but still hasn’t returned their call.
Other residents of the building were asked about the incident and whether they had any trouble with bats. Though none claimed to have encountered any flying rodents, some complained about skunks, raccoons, and squirrels becoming an issue on their property. Reports stated that the tenants filing the suit only returned to their apartment for their personal items during daylight hours.
