$60,000 Bed Bug Infestation Settlement at Tall Oaks Apartments

A $60,000 settlement was reached in the bed bug infestation lawsuit filed by Whitney, LLP against HPA Tall Oaks, LLC and Hirschfeld Management, Inc. alleging a months-long, improperly treated bed bug infestation at the Tall Oaks Apartment Homes in Laurel, MD.  The lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court in Annapolis, MD in Anne Arundel County in March 2020.  The settlement occurred shortly after the lawsuit was filed.  This blog discusses the allegations made in the lawsuit, the settlement, and the widespread problem of landlords not dealing with bed bugs properly.

Whitney, LLP’s attorneys represent tenants in negligence and fraud bed bug infestation claims and lawsuits against landlords and property managers across Maryland. Common complaints of tenants include “the landlord is not treating the bedbug infestation in my apartment,” “my new apartment is infested with bed bugs” and “the bed bug treatments don’t work.”  If you are dealing with these issues, we can help.

In addition to our clients’ experience at the Tall Oaks Apartments, Laurel, MD is generally known to have a problem with landlords moving tenants into infested apartments and not treating bed bug infestations properly, as do the nearby areas of Bowie, Greenbelt, Burtonsville, Jessup and Fort Meade. 

 Whitney, LLP has successfully sued many landlords, and we have recovered over $12 million for our clients in bed bug claims and cases. Click here to see what some of our clients say about us, and click here to read about some of our past verdicts and settlements in bed bug cases. 

We offer Legal Consultations.  Contact us Online or call us at 410 583 8000. We fight landlords and can recover compensation for tenants who are victims of bed bug infestations and bad landlords. Our clients in bed bug cases do not pay any out of pocket fees or expenses. 

Tall Oaks Apartments’ Google Reviews include reports of management ignoring complaints of mice and other rodents.

The Tall Oaks Apartment Became Infested with Bed Bugs and Complaints were Ignored

The lawsuit filed against HPA Tall Oaks, LLC and Hirschfeld Management, Inc. includes the following allegations: Approximately one year after our clients moved into their apartment at the Tall Oaks Apartments in Laurel  in 2018, our clients began to notice itchy, red bites on their skin, but did not know what was causing the bites.  About one month after they started to notice the bites, they began to find little brown bugs in their apartment. They realized that the bugs were actually bed bugs.

Our clients allege that after they reported the infestation to Hirschfeld Management, the management company said they would, but did not, send out a pest control company to inspect or treat for bed bugs.  They continued to make reports and complaints of infestation, but were ignored for almost two months. The infestation grew worse.

Not knowing what else to do, they contacted the Anne Arundel County Department of Health on July 25, 2019. On July 31, 2019, the health inspector confirmed the infestation of bed bugs in the apartment, and Hirschfeld was ordered to hire a licensed pest control company to exterminate the bed bugs and to take the necessary steps to prevent reinfestation.

On August 16, 2019, a bed bug chemical treatment was finally performed. The infestation persisted, with our clients continuing to be bitten and see bed bugs. Although the standard of care for chemical bed bug treatments requires multiple treatments, no second or third chemical treatment was performed. Instead, our clients were forced to vacate due to the ongoing bed bug infestation.

A bed bug in our clients’ apartment at Tall Oaks Apartments. If left untreated, bed bug infestations multiply quickly. Tenants have legal rights when their complaints are ignored.

Landlords Ignoring Tenant Reports of Bed Bug Infestation 

In general, many landlords and property managers in Maryland do not respond properly to reports of bed bugs.  They often ignore tenants’ complaints, use ineffective self-treatment methods applied by their untrained maintenance staff, and do not allow pest control companies to do the proper number of treatments.

They also often fail to have adjacent units inspected for bed bugs after confirming the infestation in a unit. The failure to inspect and treat adjacent units is a huge problem, because bed bugs are known to spread from unit to unit in apartments.

Whitney, LLP’s Bed Bug Lawyers Help Tenants Sue for Bed Bugs

If a landlord moves a tenant into an apartment with a bed bug infestation, ignores complaints of bed bugs, does not take quick action to have the infestation professionally treated, or allows an infestation to persist, the tenant has legal rights and can sue their landlord for negligence in dealing with bed bugs.  Whitney, LLP’s bed bug attorneys sue many landlords in Maryland for bed bug infestations, and can help.

We often see landlords include Bed Bug Addendum in their lease.  Those Addendums often state the importance of the tenant immediately reporting an infestation, and taking proper steps to assist with the inspection and treatment in their unit. However, many landlords fail to act quickly and do the exact things that they tell their tenants not to do. If you signed a Bed Bug Addendum, Whitney, LLP’s attorneys may be able to use that Addendum to your benefit to help prove the landlord’s negligence. 

Whitney, LP’s bed bug attorneys represent Maryland tenants, including in Laurel, Bowie, Greenbelt, Burtonsville, Jessup and Fort Meade, against bad landlords who do not treat bed bug infestations properly. If you were moved into an infested apartment, or your landlord is ignoring your complaints and reports of bed bugs, you have legal rights and can recover compensation for your injuries, property damage and emotional distress. We offer Legal Consultations. Our clients pay no out of pocket fees or expenses. Contact us online or call 410 583 8000 to begin.