A family is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Airbnb after a 19-month-old girl died from exposure to fentanyl while staying with family at a rented property in Wellington, Florida.
Toddler dies from exposure to fentanyl in Airbnb rental unit
In August 2021, the Lavenir family was visiting Florida and rented out an Airbnb in Wellington. Within 24 hours, their toddler was dead from fentanyl.
“They’re there for 24 hours, the child never leaves the inside of the unit,” said Thomas Scolaro, an attorney for Lavenir family. “And after she’s put down for a nap in the early afternoon, the parents see her with foaming at the mouth and a lifeless body.”
The family says the girl was blue with white foam coming from her lips.
After an investigation, Palm Beach County deputies and the medical examiner determined fentanyl was in 19-month-old Enora Lavenir’s blood and her death was accidental, WPBF reported.
During the investigation by authorities, officials recalled that law enforcement went to the same house in July, responding to a call over a loud party, ABC reported.
According to the lawsuit, more than a week later, the house was booked on Airbnb by a man named Aaron Kornhauser.
According to Palm Beach County deputies, Kornhauser allegedly told them: “the group of individuals who stayed at the residence had used cocaine in the residence and marijuana (weed) was also used in the residence.”
Kornhauser told deputies: “He is familiar with fentanyl and stated that there is no fentanyl in the residence.”
Investigators were unable to find drugs in the belongings of the Lavenir family. Both parents tested negative for drugs. Investigators ultimately could not determine how the toddler got a hold of and ingested the drug.
“I am unable to develop probable cause for abuse or neglect leading to the death of Enora,” one investigator in the case said. “Currently the manner of death is listed as accidental.”
Family seeks wrongful death compensation from Airbnb
Investigators have been unable to find evidence of fentanyl inside the vacation rental, and no criminal charges have been filed, according to the Washington Post.
Nonetheless, with the 19-month-old girl dying from apparent exposure to fentanyl, the family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Airbnb, the property owner, the rentals manager, and a renter who hosted a party at the unit two weeks before the girl’s death, People reported.
Attorney for the Lavenir family, Thomas Scolaro, told the Post, his top is finding the source of the drugs, adding that the “only thing we have here is common sense.”
“It [fentanyl] was definitely in that unit, that Airbnb,” Scolaro stated. “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.”
