My Airbnb nightmare: Host rented room to career criminal who refused to pay or leave - then accused him of assault

An Airbnb host has sued the home rental company for 'gross negligence' after it allegedly failed to properly screen a renter who is a repeat offender. 

Eric Weaver, 60, of St. Petersburg, filed a lawsuit against Airbnb on September 20 in Florida Middle District Court - a little more than a year after his alleged nightmare began. 

Weaver, a civil engineer, claims that the renter, Lauren Dawn Chehouri, 47,  failed to pay for her stay, refused to leave, and accused him of assault when he attempted to evict her from his property, according to the lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com.

The ordeal began on February 28, 2023 when Weaver accepted Chehouri's reservation for her to stay at his rental property the entire month of March, the suit detailed. 

Once March ended, Weaver soon discovered that Chehouri was still living in the home while owing him about $4,000 in rent for the month, according to legal documents.

After telling her she had to vacate his property, Chehouri allegedly 'refused' to do so and instead 'falsely accused Mr. Weaver of battery,' the suit said. 

Weaver was then arrested for the alleged assault and he was 'forced to pay to defend himself in a court .' He was found not guilty on February 6, 2024. 

Other than being arrested for the alleged crime, the lawsuit stated that Weaver also lost out on potential income opportunities involving his rental home because 'he no longer felt safe accepting guest referrals from Defendant.' 

After further review of Chehouri, Weaver's legal team found that she has an extensive criminal history dating back over a decade. 

In 1993, she was arrested for driving with improper plates on her vehicle, and in 1997 she pleaded guilty to DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to public records reviewed by DailyMail.com 

In 2018, she pleaded guilty again to possession of paraphernalia, and pleaded no contest in 2019 to a petty theft charge. 

For the theft charge, Chehouri was compelled to attend 50 hours of community service and had to go to Shoplifters Anonymous meetings, according to court records. 

She did not complete her designated requirements and did not pay probation service fees, mandated court costs, or drug testing fees, according to a 2022 affidavit reviewed by the Independent.   

In 2022 she pleaded guilty to passing bad checks and another DUI, records showed. Records also showed that Chehouri was a licensed practical nurse, but her license expired in 2015, according to the publication. 

Chehouri was also evicted twice before after being taken to court in 2008 and 2016 for defaulting on her rent for properties in St. Petersburg and Bradenton, the outlet reported.   

Both renters and hosts are supposed to undergo background checks when doing business with Airbnb, according to the company's website. 

The company added that 'not every Airbnb user' undergoes a background check because Airbnb is 'limited' and 'can't guarantee that they'll identify all past criminal convictions or sex offender registrations by a guest or Host.' 

'Therefore, you shouldn’t rely on them as a guarantee that the user has no criminal background or other red flags,' the company added. 

Because of the alleged problems Weaver faced with Chehouri, he was left with $3,961,80 in unpaid rent, attorney fees, court costs and 'the loss of ability to earn money,' the suit claims.

The suit states that Airbnb 'was negligent' for failing 'to properly investigate or do a proper background check on the Guest prior to verifying and recommending the Guest to Mr. Weaver.' 

'Defendant had a duty to properly investigate potential guests, prior to recommending said guests to Mr. Weaver, to make sure said guests did not pose a threat or safety risk to others or themselves,' legal documents said.  

Weaver has demanded a jury trial for the case and has asked Airbnb to reimburse him for the missing rent fee, lost rental revenue, and the cost of hiring a lawyer to defend him against the battery charge brought on by Chehouri. 

He's asked the company to pay him more than $414,694.45 in compensatory damages and $406,110.22 in punitive damages, according to the lawsuit. 

When approached by DailyMail.com for comment, Weaver said to speak to his attorney, Charles Bryant Boydstun. 

'We are not ready to discuss this at this time but I will let you know when that time may come,' Boydstun told DailyMail.com. 

Although an Airbnb spokesperson declined to comment because the legal case is ongoing, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told DailyMail.com that Chehouri booked a one night stay at Weaver's rental, before the two negotiated to extend her visit off-platform. 

The source said that this created a third-party issue between Weaver and Chehouri.  

DailyMail.com has contacted Chehouri for comment. 

On September 23 a summons was filed against Airbnb to respond to the accusations made in the lawsuit against the company, documents revealed. They have not filed a formal response.