New lawsuit alleges North Myrtle Beach rental ‘recklessly’ exposed the public to bed bugs
Two Pennsylvania residents have filed a lawsuit against a property owner and several companies after allegedly being bitten by bed bugs during a stay at a North Myrtle Beach vacation rental from Aug. 3 through 9.
The suit, filed on Jan. 14, alleges Amanda and Philip Wyant, as well as an unnamed minor, suffered bed bug bites while staying in a rental unit in Sea Castle Condos at 1425 S. Ocean Blvd.
According to the suit, the Wyants were bitten while they slept and notified management. The bugs were allegedly in the mattresses, bedding and carpet.
“Defendants’ conduct in knowingly or recklessly exposing the public to the infestation was so extreme and outrageous as to exceed all possible bounds of decency and must be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community,” the lawsuit states.
As a result of the defendants’ negligence, the suit alleges, the plaintiffs incurred injuries and medical expenses; suffered symptoms like physical pain, humiliation and mental anguish; lost wages and will require psychological and psychiatric care in the future.
“In these bed bug cases, what we see is, number one, failure to render the property safe, because we’ve got blood-sucking parasites there, and two, we see failure to inspect, because so many times these infestations are apparent,” said attorney Trevor Eddy, who is representing the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit lists West Virginia resident Richard J. O’Donnell III, who appears to own and operate the rental unit, and three companies as defendants. Unlike O’Donnell, the companies’ connections with the property are less clear.
Sea Castle Condominium Association Inc., Seaside Vacations Sales and Management Inc., Elliott Beach Properties LLC and Elliott Realty Inc. are all listed as having owned, leased, controlled, maintained, possessed, operated, cared for, had custody of or been otherwise responsible for the premises, property or business.
When The Sun News reached out to Seaside Vacations, rental manager Cyndee Colborn said that, while the company manages three units at Sea Castle Condos, it doesn’t manage the unit where the Wyants stayed.
According to Eddy, it’s possible that defendants named in the suit aren’t involved with the rental unit because it can be difficult to get responses from parties potentially involved. Some defendants may be added or dropped from the lawsuit once the case reaches the discovery phase, when parties exchange questions and requests, he said.
“Even if I have the right entity, they still might not actually be legally or factually responsible, and that’s when we start trimming and or adding parties,” Eddy said. “This whole process of service and clarifying parties can take one to three months.”
The suit is seeking damages, costs and expenses, and other relief the court deems proper.
Because there isn’t a website available for Sea Castle Condominium Association Inc., The Sun News left a message for the agent registered for the corporation with the South Carolina Secretary of State.
A message was also left for the vice president of operations at Elliott Beach Rentals, which wasn’t immediately returned.