The shooting of three people last weekend at a Sacramento house party has prompted Airbnb to take unprecedent legal action against a renter.
The San Francisco-based home-sharing company said Wednesday it is initiating legal proceedings against the short-term renter who held the unauthorized party.
Airbnb said it has barred the person from its platform.
The shooting occurred at 1:15 a.m. Sunday in a house in an unincorporated neighborhood of Sacramento County two blocks from the city limit. Neighbors reportedly told sheriff’s deputies that the party was packed with people in their early 20s.
The house, surrounded by a white picket fence, is across from an elementary school. As of Wednesday, it was no longer listed on the Airbnb site.
Airbnb has been trying to clean up its image — promising to verify all of its listings, for example, and taking a harder line on parties — as it prepares for an initial public offering of its stock. The IPO, which was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, could still take place this year.
Airbnb banned “open invite” parties at its rentals late last year after five people were fatally shot at an unauthorized party in Orinda. The company set up a rapid response team to deal with complaints from neighbors and started screening “high risk” bookings, such as reservations at a large home for one night.
Airbnb went further last month, banning guests under 25 from booking entire homes close to where they live.
In the most recent case, Airbnb said it will seek monetary damages and donate them to non-profit that fights gun violence in the Sacramento area. Under Airbnb’s terms of service, the dispute will go into arbitration if Airbnb and the client are unable to settle the terms.
A Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman said Wednesday that the shootings remain under investigation.