Plazza v. Airbnb, Inc.
February 11, 2016
On February 11, 2016, Newman Ferrara filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Airbnb, Inc. ("Airbnb" or the "Company) for violations of New York law. The lawsuit, entitled Plazza v. Airbnb, Inc., 16-cv-01085, alleges that Airbnb has engaged and continues to engage in illegal real estate broker transactions in violation of Sec. 440 of New York Real Property Law (NYRPL) as well as Sec. 349 of New York General Business Law.
Through its website, www.airbnb.com, Airbnb lists and advertises property available for rent in New York (and other cities around the world), facilitates the rental transactions, including procuring the rental agreements and processing rental payments, and takes fees and/or commissions for its services. NYRPL Sec. 440 unambiguously requires individuals and entities who engage in these activities to maintain a New York State-issued real estate broker's license. Nevertheless, Airbnb does not presently and has never had such a license. Consequently, the fees and commissions the Company has charged are illegal.
If you paid any fee, commission, or rent to any website providing access to short-term and vacation rentals in New York, including airbnb.com, vrbo.com, homeaway.com, roomarama.com, or some other short-term/vacation rental website, you may contact us to inquire about your rights or our ongoing investigation regarding these online rental services.
The attorneys handling this matter are Lucas A. Ferrara (lferrara@nfllp.com), Jeffrey Norton (jnorton@nfllp.com) and Danielle Sullivan (dsullivan@nfllp.com).