Father Sues Over Son's Fiery Death at Leased Malibu Home

MALIBU, CA — The father of a 22-year-old college student who burned to death in a leased Malibu home that allegedly had inadequate smoke detectors is suing the home's owner as well as booking-company Tripadvisor and one of its subsidiaries, HolidayLettings.co.uk.

Brad Schneider, the father of the late Grant Schneider, brought the negligence suit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court against the two companies and Erin Hughes, the landlord of the Rambla Pacifico Street property where the Jan. 17 fire occurred. Grant Schneider's short-term lease of the home was booked through HolidayLettings, the suit states.

A Tripadvisor representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The home had an inadequate number of smoke detectors and/or smoke detectors that were inoperable, according to the suit.

Tripadvisor and HolidayLettings "failed to disclose any information relating to whether they vetted the ... property, thereby misrepresenting and/or concealing material facts and perpetuating an illusion that the property was safe, and inducing rental of the property which led to the decedent's death," the suit states.

Grant Schneider, a San Diego Mesa College student, was unaware that the home allegedly was unsafe because of the problem with the fire detectors, so the fire was not immediately detected and he was unable to escape in time, the suit states.

City News Service

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