The Airbnb host says the guest upset him and then falsely accused him of assault. Now he wants the company to pay

An Airbnb host in Florida rented a room to a guest who allegedly didn't want to pay, refused to leave, and then had them arrested for trumped-up assault when he tried to evict them, resulting in the homeowner being arrested in that attempt He had to go to criminal court for almost a year to clear his name.

Eric Weaver, 60, is now suing Airbnb for “gross negligence” because he says the platform failed to properly screen his tenant – who has beaten up at least two other landlords in recent years and has an extensive criminal history, according to a lawsuit filed by The Independent.

Weaver, a civil engineer with patents on, among other things, a greenhouse to capture rainwater and a “continuously moving transportation system for sidewalks,” says his nightmare began in early 2023 when he accepted an Airbnb reservation from Lauren Dawn Chehouri, 47.

Weaver took Airbnb at its word and relied on the company's apparent promise to screen all guests, according to the lawsuit.

“Specifically, in determining the suitability of a guest or host, Defendant conducts a background check on the user by submitting identifying information to one of its approved background check providers, which verifies the individual's identity against public records or publicly accessible databases,” it says it in the lawsuit.

On February 28, 2023, it said Weaver accepted Chehouri's reservation to stay at his home for the month of March. (St. Petersburg all but bans short-term rentals of less than 30 days.)

But as March ended and April began, Chehouri was still living in Weaver's home. Making matters worse, she owed Weaver nearly $4,000 in unpaid rent. On April 19, Weaver told Chehouri during a standoff that she had to leave, the lawsuit says.

However, Chehouri refused to vacate the premises when asked to do so and falsely accused Mr. Weaver of assault, the lawsuit continues. “As a result of the false allegations, Mr. Weaver was arrested and forced to pay for his defense in court, where he was found not guilty on February 6, 2024.”

The trumped-up allegations also hurt Weaver's earning potential on Airbnb because he “no longer felt safe accepting guest recommendations from the platform” after the hellish situation he endured with Chehouri, the lawsuit says.

“A subsequent review of court records revealed that the guest had an extensive criminal history, including two additional eviction cases and two late rent charges in Pinellas County, Florida,” the lawsuit states, arguing that Airbnb failed to inform Weaver about Chehouris Finding out about the problem's past before renting it to them “represents a conscious disregard for the consequences.”

An Airbnb spokesman declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. Chehouri could not be reached for comment.

Public records show Chehouri has a lengthy criminal record. Chehouri, a trained practical nurse whose license expired in 2015, was first arrested in 1993 for driving with false license plates on her car. She pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and possession of drug paraphernalia in 1997, pleaded guilty to writing bad checks and another count of driving under the influence in 2002, pleaded guilty again to possession of paraphernalia in 2018 and pleaded no contest the following year Petty theft charges show she was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and ordered to attend Shoplifters Anonymous meetings, according to court records.

According to a probation violation affidavit filed in Pinellas County in 2022, Chehouri has not complied with any of the requirements and has not paid required court fees, probation supervision fees or drug testing fees.

On the civil front, Chehouri was evicted twice and taken to court in 2008 and 2016 for failing to pay her rent on properties in Bradenton and St. Petersburg.

Airbnb “had a duty to properly screen potential guests before recommending those guests to Mr. Weaver to ensure that those guests did not pose a danger or safety risk to others or themselves.”

Weaver is seeking restitution from Airbnb for $3,691.80 in rent Chehouri never paid, as well as reimbursement for lost rental income and the cost of hiring an attorney to defend himself in court against the bogus battery charge. In total, Weaver wants Airbnb to pay over $414,694.45 in compensatory damages and $406,110.22 in punitive damages.

Airbnb has not yet filed a formal response to the allegations.