New York: Rape victim paid $7 million as 'settlement' by Airbnb
Airbnb Office
Airbnb has paid an Australian tourist $7 million after it was revealed that she was raped in a rental property near Times Square in Manhattan, New York.
The traveller was visiting New York City with her friends to celebrate New Year’s Eve in 2015 and revealed her tragic story while she was interviewed about safety standards in the vacation rental company.
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As per the media reports, the tourist had picked up keys to the rental property from a nearby shop, as instructed by the owner. Later, when she returned to the property alone after a New Year party, she was attacked by a stranger, who has been identified as a 24-year-old Junior Lee, and was raped on knifepoint.
The local police found the set of keys with the perpetrator who was then charged with predatory sexual assault but has not pleaded guilty. The offender is still in police custody.
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After the attack, the traveller was shifted to a hotel and her mother was flown in from Australia to support her daughter. Airbnb also offered to cover all health and counselling costs for the victim.
The $7 million settlement was made to make sure the victim never sues or blames Airbnb for the tragedy. However, the company claims they welcome people to speak freely about their tragic experiences as part of the settlements.
"We proactively reached out to the NYPD after the attack to offer our assistance for their investigation, and we helped get her into a hotel. The priority for our company and our executives was supporting the survivor and doing right by someone who had endured trauma," a spokesperson of Airbnb told a local media house.