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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Airbnb allowed rampant price gouging following L.A. fires, city attorney lawsuit alleges
The Los Angeles city attorney's office has filed a lawsuit against Airbnb, accusing the home-sharing platform of allow price gouging and unverified hosts and addresses at more than 2,000 rentals following the January firestorm in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. In a statement, L.A. City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto's office accused Airbnb of allowing illegal rental price hikes and permitting false and nonexistent hosts and addresses on the platform. The lawsuit seeks a permanent order to halt Airbnb from hiking up prices during the existing state of emergency, as well as reimbursement for consumers who were charged higher rates. "Although Airbnb subsequently took steps to curtail price gouging, evidence indicates that illegal gouging on the site continues and may be ongoing,' Feldstein Soto said in a statement announcing the civil enforcement action. 'Airbnb is aware that its verification processes are inadequate … potentially luring prospective tenants into a false sense of security about its hosts and locations.' Airbnb disputed the lawsuit's accusations, saying the platform has played a consistent role in supporting victims with financial aid following the wildfires. Read more: Scams, bidding wars and predatory landlords: One couple's quest for housing after the fires 'Since the wildfires broke out, Airbnb … contributed nearly $30 million to fire recovery efforts in Los Angeles, including free emergency housing to nearly 24,000 people impacted by the fires,' an Airbnb spokesperson told The Times. 'We will continue supporting the city of Los Angeles in its recovery and rebuilding efforts.' The lawsuit seeks fines of $2,500 for each instance of alleged price gouging in L.A., which could reach between 2,000 and 3,000 properties, or up to $7.5 million in total penalties. The lawsuit also alleges that Airbnb's 'inadequate' verification processes left users vulnerable to offenses such as identity theft, robbery, sexual assault, invasion of privacy and voyeurism. Airbnb did not respond to an inquiry from The Times regarding those claims. The unverified and 'nonexistent' hosts alleged in the lawsuit refer to cases of hosts using fake names to represent themselves on the platform. According to the lawsuit, cases include a profile under the name of 'Amber Hiller' that actually belonged to a woman named Akila Nourollah, and a host named 'Greg,' verified using the ID of someone named Guven Sacikarali, a relative of the actual account controller, Ali Sacikaral. Read more: While many were helped, some fire victims say Airbnb's free vouchers are useless While not the correct name of the account owners, Airbnb does allow the use of 'preferred names' in its terms and conditions. The lawsuit also mentions several cases in which verified locations on Airbnb were actually located up to four miles away from the advertised address. If price gouging claims are determined to be true, the lawsuit claims that Airbnb can be found to have violated the state's Unfair Competition Law, California Penal Code Section 396, the Anti-Gouging Law, and the Jan. 16 state of emergency declaration by Gov. Gavin Newsom, which states that it would be illegal for Airbnb to increase the pricing of rentals by more than 10% during the state of emergency. The firestorm that erupted on Jan. 7 ultimately destroyed more than 16,000 buildings in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Altadena. Read more: After disasters, FEMA leases apartments for survivors. But not after the L.A. fires In January, Airbnb released a statement denouncing price gouging and promising to make it impossible for hosts to raise the prices of their properties by more than 10% from their pre-wildfire rates. 'With tens of thousands of people currently displaced in the Los Angeles area and the prospect of that figure continuing to increase, the last thing anyone should encounter is pricing for a hotel room or a home that seeks to take advantage of a desperate situation,' the statement read. The company also pledged to give free $1,000 vouchers to fire victims for Airbnb stays. By Jan. 28, more than 11,000 vouchers had been sent out. However, some fire victims claimed that strict regulations and a lack of response to applications made the vouchers essentially useless. While the state of emergency declaration aimed to prevent rental price hikes during and following the fires, previous Times reporting revealed that prices had continued to balloon in parts of L.A., leaving those without shelter with little options besides expensive stays. Read more: 'Everyone else has moved on': Why L.A. fire victims may be feeling even worse now An Airbnb spokesperson said the cap on increasing rental prices following the fires stayed firm, allowing for no illegal increases. The company cited California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta's early statements, which praised Airbnb's promises to comply with the state's emergency declarations. "They're doing the right thing, I thank them for doing that. We hope other platforms will follow suit and do the same,' Bonta said during a Jan. 16 news conference. However, Bonta's statements came before many long-term Airbnb rates were set. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Violent behavior will not be tolerated': Wisconsin's biggest city addresses gun violence in downtown entertainment area
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WFRV) – After a quintuple shooting in the early morning hours on July 12, police in Wisconsin are addressing recent violence in a major entertainment district. The Milwaukee Police Department said that officers had recently responded to numerous violent incidents in the downtown entertainment district in the 600 block of North Water Street. Wisconsin elections officials find clerk broke laws over uncounted ballots The release mentioned a quintuple shooting that occurred on Saturday, July 12. As a result of the recent gun violence, the department says it's being proactive with partners across the city, including the Council and City Attorney to address the issues. '[The] Milwaukee Police Department is dedicated to working with our elected officials, our public safety partners and the community to cultivate a safe environment for everyone to enjoy our city especially during this summer,' the release said. Milwaukee officials are urging people to be better at resolving conflict without resorting to guns, and that the department will not tolerate violent behavior. Brown County Jail's garden program shows significant growth in second year, donations to Paul's Pantry Anybody with details about recent violence is urged to contact the police at (414) 935-7360, with anonymity available by contacting Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-8477 or through the P3 Tips App. No additional details are available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
03-07-2025
- CBS News
Bicyclist dies following collision with vehicle in San Rafael
A bicyclist died of his injuries after a collision with a vehicle in San Rafael last weekend, authorities said Thursday. The San Rafael Police Department said the crash happened Saturday at about 3:30 p.m. on Freitas Parkway at Lea Drive in the city's Terra Linda district. Officers and medics with the San Rafael Fire Department responded to the scene and began life-saving measures to the cyclist, who was rushed to the hospital. The victim, identified as 54-year-old Christopher Brignetti of San Rafael, was later pronounced dead from his injuries. In a statement, City Attorney Rob Epstein said the cyclist was traveling eastbound on Freitas Parkway when he struck a vehicle making a left turn from Freitas onto Lea Drive. "So far as the City is aware, there were no witnesses to the accident other than the involved parties," said Epstein. "The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Our hearts go out to the victim's family. " Police said drugs and alcohol are not a factor, and no arrests were made. Anyone with information about the collision was asked to call San Rafael Police at (415) 485-3000. Tips can also be made online at
