A Texas Woman Sues A Real-Estate Company Over An Infestation Of Opossums That Gave Her Typhus

It goes without saying that real-estate companies have a moral and legal duty to provide their clients with any and all information concerning current and past pest infestations within a property. Sadly, not all real-estate professionals follow the rules, as the desire to sell a house can make some shady real-estate agents less than honest concerning the existing or potential problems associated with a property. For example, one Texas tenant sued her real-estate brokerage firm for failing to disclose and address an opossum infestation within a property that she had been renting from the firm. Unfortunately, this alleged infestation led to the tenant contracting typhus.

Back in 2009, the woman moved into a home that was being rented out by an agent working for a Houston based real-estate brokerage firm. As it turned out, moving into this property was a bad move, as her home was infested with opossums. Although the brokerage firm was tasked with managing the property, the woman alleged that they failed to address an ongoing opossum infestation within her home. Eventually, the woman contracted typhus as a result of sustaining bites from fleas that had been transported into the home by the invading opossums. Despite the woman’s repeated complaints concerning the opossum infestation within the home, she claimed that the firm repeatedly ignored her pleas to have the property inspected for a pest infestation. After being given her tragic diagnosis, the woman sued the brokerage firm for negligence.

Typhus is a bacterial disease that is spread by fleas and lice. Being exposed to rat fleas, rat feces and several forms of wildlife, such as opossums, raccoons, rats and cats, can result in an individual contracting typhus. Symptoms of typhus include, extremely high fever (around 105 or 106 degrees), backache, red rash, hacking cough, abdominal pain, joint pain, headache, nausea and vomiting. During the fall of 2018, opossums caused several Los Angeles residents to fall ill from typhus infections.

Were you aware that opossums help to facilitate the spread of typhus?