NC Woman Seriously Injured by Horse at Asheville Airbnb Owned by Fraudster
A Mecklenburg County woman is suing after she said she was badly hurt by a horse at an Asheville area short-term rental owned by a notorious bank fraudster.
Stephanie Bantle filed the March 22 lawsuit in Buncombe County Superior Court against Airbnb Inc. and Shawn Johnson, the owner of a large STR business who was convicted in 2023 for $3.5 million in bank fraud. Prior to his conviction, Johnson had lost his real estate license after multiple property owners said he cheated them in STR schemes.
Details of the Incident
Bantle is suing for punitive damages, pain and suffering, medical expenses, and other damages after a loose horse bit her face, tore off her ear, and caused serious injuries to her neck and back by shaking her violently. Johnson and Airbnb have not responded to the suit as of now.
Bantle claims that Johnson was negligent in allowing the horse to run loose on the property, and Airbnb should have conducted a background check on Johnson, revealing his criminal record that included a 2010 federal conviction for counterfeiting. Despite this, Airbnb listed Johnson as a “Superhost.”
The Incident
On Nov. 2, 2022, Bantle arrived at the “Big Red” tiny house rental on Velvet Ridge Lane west of Asheville. She woke up the next day to find an unsecured horse on the property, which attacked her without provocation, resulting in significant and permanent injuries including scarring on her face, the need for surgery, and possibly more procedures.
Property Ownership
Property records show that Johnson’s LLC, Stay Asheville, acquired the tiny house in 2018. Though the property no longer belongs to Johnson, it is still listed on Airbnb. The house was bought by another LLC at a courthouse foreclosure in fall 2023 for $754,500.
Response
The representative of Built Together LLC, the current owner, mentioned they were unaware of the incident with Bantle and are implementing safety measures to protect both guests and animals on the property. They stated that guests are not allowed in the animals’ pens or pastures for safety reasons.