The bedbug barrister!
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Maryland lawyer bites back with bedbug lawsuits
By J. Freedom duLac
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Daniel Whitney has staked his claim on the title of Maryland's bedbug barrister: Since September 1, the Towson attorney has filed eight lawsuits on behalf of bedbug victims across the state seeking a total of more than $7 million in damages.
The claims, ranging from $100,000 to $3.55 million, are mostly against apartment building owners and managers who the victims say were negligent in dealing with infestations.
The lawsuits have made Whitney the object of scorn, with some people suggesting that he's, well . . . something of a human parasite himself.
"I'm very aware of the derogatory comments people make about me being a bloodsucker seeking large sums of money," Whitney said. "It's nonsense. These people need help."
Whitney is far from done. He says he's on the verge of filing five more bedbug lawsuits and has another 21 open files that could result in complaints.
"Potential clients keep contacting me, almost daily," said the lawyer, whose firm, Whitney & Bogris, would collect between 33 percent and 40 percent of any settlement or judgment in the cases. "I'm going to have to take my number off our Web site."
Over a three-decade career, Whitney has mostly defended corporate clients in product liability, malpractice and toxic tort cases.
"I never thought I'd become known as the bedbug attorney," he said.
Bedbug complaints constitute a relatively nascent legal niche, surfacing only a few years ago after the bloodsucking insects came back from the brink.
The common bedbug, cimex lectularius, which generally feasts on the blood of sleeping humans, was nearly eradicated in the United States in the 1950s through liberal application of potent pesticides such as the since-banned DDT. But the apple-seed-sized insects, which survived in other parts of the world, have made an unexpected and unwelcome return here since the late 1990s.
They're showing up everywhere: In college dorms, government buildings, Google's offices - even luxury hotels such as the Waldorf-Astoria, which has been sued by guests who say they got chewed up at the New York landmark.
As the snarky legal blog, Above the Law, put it recently: "There's Only One Way to Deal With Bedbugs: Release the Sharks."
By J. Freedom duLac
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Daniel Whitney has staked his claim on the title of Maryland's bedbug barrister: Since September 1, the Towson attorney has filed eight lawsuits on behalf of bedbug victims across the state seeking a total of more than $7 million in damages.
The claims, ranging from $100,000 to $3.55 million, are mostly against apartment building owners and managers who the victims say were negligent in dealing with infestations.
The lawsuits have made Whitney the object of scorn, with some people suggesting that he's, well . . . something of a human parasite himself.
"I'm very aware of the derogatory comments people make about me being a bloodsucker seeking large sums of money," Whitney said. "It's nonsense. These people need help."
Whitney is far from done. He says he's on the verge of filing five more bedbug lawsuits and has another 21 open files that could result in complaints.
"Potential clients keep contacting me, almost daily," said the lawyer, whose firm, Whitney & Bogris, would collect between 33 percent and 40 percent of any settlement or judgment in the cases. "I'm going to have to take my number off our Web site."
Over a three-decade career, Whitney has mostly defended corporate clients in product liability, malpractice and toxic tort cases.
"I never thought I'd become known as the bedbug attorney," he said.
Bedbug complaints constitute a relatively nascent legal niche, surfacing only a few years ago after the bloodsucking insects came back from the brink.
The common bedbug, cimex lectularius, which generally feasts on the blood of sleeping humans, was nearly eradicated in the United States in the 1950s through liberal application of potent pesticides such as the since-banned DDT. But the apple-seed-sized insects, which survived in other parts of the world, have made an unexpected and unwelcome return here since the late 1990s.
They're showing up everywhere: In college dorms, government buildings, Google's offices - even luxury hotels such as the Waldorf-Astoria, which has been sued by guests who say they got chewed up at the New York landmark.
As the snarky legal blog, Above the Law, put it recently: "There's Only One Way to Deal With Bedbugs: Release the Sharks."
posted by Clare L. Pieuk at 3:48 PM
1 Comments:
The best way to keep their numbers down is to keep your bedroom relatively clutter free, never put suitcases or bags on a bed, clean and vacuum your room every couple of weeks, change bedding regularly; don't make your bed up immediately after getting up, pull the quilt down and leave it a few hours before making it back up.
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