A family is suing Airbnb after their 19-month-old daughter died from an apparent fentanyl overdose during they stay in a Florida rental.
The incident took place while the Lavenir family was on a vacation in August 2021 and staying at an Airbnb location in Wellington, Florida.
But not everything went well during their stay, as the family’s lawyer, Thomas Scolaro, told NewsNation his clients were met with “every parent’s absolute worst nightmare.”
During the trip, the family’s daughter, Enora, was put down for a nap at the lake house, and when the girl’s parents went to wake her, they found she was unresponsive, The Washington Post reported.
The lawsuit says that Enora’s mother, Lydie Lavenir, “found her unresponsive and foaming at the mouth” when she went to check on her an hour into her nap, YahooNews reported.
The father of the girl, Boris Lavenir, spoke with NBC News about the death of his daughter, recalling that he heard his wife scream before crying out “‘Enora is dead! Enora is dead.’”
Lydie Lavenir began giving her daughter CPR while the family waited for first responders who took her to HCA Florida Palms West hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“I can’t imagine what they’ve been through,” Scolaro said. “They did not know initially that this was fentanyl. They were without a clue. For a period of time, they thought it was SIDS — Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.”
However, SIDS was not the cause of Enora’s death, as Scolaro shared that an autopsy later found traces of fentanyl in the toddler’s system.
The family is now suing Airbnb, the renter who stayed at the home before they did, the property manager, and the owner.
Scolaro discussed the case, saying they think the renting company should be held liable for their daughter’s death along with the other parties involved.
“What does justice look like to them?” Scolaro said. “I can’t tell you what a jury will ultimately do with this, but we want to hold both Airbnb, the renter, the owner, the manager — everybody who had touched this place — responsible under the law.”
The lawsuit alleges that the property was host to parties, with narcotics being used on the premises days before the arrival of the Lavenirs.
“In reality, the subject premises had a history of being used as a party house and had just days earlier hosted a group of approximately a dozen adults who used cocaine and other drugs, including but not limited to fentanyl throughout the home,” the suit says.
Authorities investigated the death of the child at the time, noting that they could not find evidence of fentanyl being in the rental, resulting in charges not being brought against anyone.
“There were no signs of any narcotic medications or any illegal narcotics at the crime scene, and her death was listed as accidental,” the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in an incident report, YahooNews reported.
The Post was informed by a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson that the case was closed, pending any leads in the investigation.
Airbnb released a statement on the lawsuit, sharing with the Post that “Our hearts go out to the Lavenir family and their loved ones for their devastating loss.”
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