UNITED STATES—On Wednesday, August 12, Airbnb has decided to take legal action with a guest for throwing an unauthorized party.
The unidentified guest threw the party in Sacramento on Friday, August 8, and three people were shot and wounded. The gathering did not have a guest list which is a violation to Airbnb’s policy.
In a phone conversation with Sacramento County Sheriff, Lacy Nelson, she summarized what took place on that night. “It was on the corner of Howe and Delma Way, we received multiple calls that there was a loud party and there ended up being a shooting around 1:15 AM. Nobody was killed and the victims that were shot in their upper body areas and they were in their 20’s. Currently, we don’t know the motive of the shooting and we are investigating the situation.”
In a email sent by the Senior Communications Manager, Mattie Zazueta, the press release stated:
“The company notified the guest on Monday of its intent to bring legal action, alleging negligence and violation of local health orders, violation of Airbnb’s Community Standards, and that the Guest booked the listing under false pretenses. In addition to the support we are already providing to the host through our Host Guarantee, Airbnb is committing that it will donate any money recovered through this proceeding to a local Sacramento non-profit fighting against gun violence — the non-profit will be chosen in consultation with leaders of the Airbnb host community in Sacramento.”
On Airbnb.com, in the Unauthorized Parties section, it states, “Any party that violates House Rules and/or happens without the knowledge or consent of the host is prohibited. Guests who throw unauthorized parties are subject to suspension or removal.”
“Party I was at got shot up a lot of people died. I’m just glad my friends and I left with our lives,” Tory stated in a phone conversation, who witnessed the massacre last year in Orinda California, where five people were shot and killed. Since the incident, Airbnb has banned “open parties.”
On July 2, Airbnb announced that they will restrict guests under 25 from booking homes in their vicinity unless they have a history of positive reviews according to news.airbnb.com.
Airbnb has updated their community policies to protect health and safety.
