RIVER NORTH — A man is suing a Marriott hotel just blocks from the Mag Mile after saying he was attacked by bed bugs during his stay last summer.
In the complaint filed last week in Cook County Circuit Court, Allen Brown says he woke up covered in bed bug bites during a stay in August at the Courtyard Marriott Chicago Downtown/River North, 30 E. Hubbard St.
Hotel staff changed Brown's room after he reported the attack, but he was bitten again in his second room, too, according to the complaint.
The bites to Brown's feet, arms and torso were "extremely painful" and resulted in scarring and swelling, his lawyer, Tyler Kobylski of Staver Law Group, said.
"The hotel clearly had a bed bug infestation that they failed to address," Kobylski said in an email. "When the Marriott contacted my client after his stay they brushed off his injuries by suggesting that 'all hotels have bed bugs.' This is a rather low bar for one of the largest hotel chains in the world."
Chris Kerbow, the hotel's general manager, did not return a message seeking comment.
The lawsuit follows recent reports of bed bugs on the Red Line and at the University of Chicago radio station, the latter of which had to shut down over the health scare. Chicago consistently ranks as one of the most bed bug afflicted cities in the nation.
Brown seeks more than $50,000 through his lawsuit, according to the complaint, but Kobylski told TMZ he expects a judgment of at least $200,000.
Lawsuit over bed bugs at the River North Courtyard Marriott by Dave Matthews on Scribd
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