Des Moines Apartment Complex Bedbug Case Seeks Class-Action

Attorneys are seeking class-action status for a lawsuit filed on behalf of 300 current and former residents of two Des Moines, Iowa, apartment complexes who say managers ignored a bedbug problem.

The Des Moines Register reports the request was made Jan. 18 in a March 2010 lawsuit in Polk County. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of residents of Elsie Mason Manor and Liguitti Towers, which serve elderly and disabled residents.

The lawsuit alleges that managers knew about the infestation for more than two years but refused to warn tenants or properly treat it until they were sued. Attorneys say class-action status would kick-start the slow-moving case.

American Baptist Homes of the Midwest manages the building. An official there acknowledged the buildings are not bedbug free but stressed his agency’s tremendous progress.

Information from: The Des Moines Register