(Washington, DC) Attorney General Linda Singer and the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) are taking action to shut down a District hotel that had living and dead bugs in its linens that allegedly infected a customer with scabies. The hotel is a fixture as commuters drive into the city on New York Avenue.
Singer’s Neighborhood and Victim Services Section today filed a civil case in court requesting an injunction against President Inn, 1600 New York Ave., NE, from operating a business because it does not have a business license or a certificate of occupancy to operate as a housing transient establishment in the form of a hotel. The case is District of Columbia v. MDRB Corporation, D/B/A President Inn and Deepak Bhatnagar, President, MDRB Corporation.
According to the case filed today in DC Superior Court, a complainant filed a complaint with DCRA’s Office of Consumer Protection seeking recourse after alleging that her daughter contracted scabies as a result of a five-day stay at the President Inn. Upon retuning home from the stay, the daughter developed severe itching and pimple-like bumps appeared on her skin. Upon receiving medical assistance, the complainant stated that she allegedly contracted scabies from the hotel linens, possibly including sheets, a mattress or towels.
“The District of Columbia will not tolerate businesses that operate in an unsafe, unclean or unhealthy manner,” Attorney General Singer said. “The allegations included in this complaint are truly horrendous and intolerable.”
“DCRA is proud to partner with the Attorney General to take action against the President Inn. District businesses should be on notice: that DCRA will take action against any business that endangers the health and safety of our residents and visitors,” said Nicholas Majett, DCRA Deputy Director for Compliance and Inspections.
On or about May 7, 2007, investigators from DCRA conducted an investigation into the defendants’ business. The investigators inspected various areas of the hotel including rooms, hallways, common areas and storage areas. The investigators spoke with an employee who informed them that there were a total of 143 units in the hotel and a total of 15 vacant units at that time. DCRA inspected a total of nine of the vacant rooms. The inspection revealed similar conditions throughout: both living and dead bugs in beds observed when the linens were pulled back that were occupant-ready for newly arriving guests; an enormous amount of dried blood on a mattress and what appeared to be remnant ashes of an illegal substance; hair, dirt, dried blood, unidentified stains found on linens, blankets, and box springs in numerous rooms when linens were removed; rat droppings found on a mattress sofa bed; dried splattered blood on a wall and an inoperable toilet in a room. Additionally, in the stairwell, the investigators observed dried blood smeared on the walls and a used and discarded condom. The investigators also observed a crack pipe and a makeshift bed in a storage room. Additionally, they observed holes in the walls and in the ceilings, and each corridor hallway on every floor was very dark and dimly and poorly lit.
An investigator spoke with the President of the MDRB Corporation and owner of the business, Mr. Bhatnagar. Mr. Bhatnagar stated that he was unaware of the alleged poor physical conditions of the hotel and offered no explanation as to the reason the hotel had no valid basic business license or certificate of occupancy. To date, the defendants have failed to secure the necessary basic business license to conduct any form of business or obtained an appropriate certificate of occupancy.