Couple For Damage Caused At $5 Million Aspen Rental
ASPEN, Colo. (CBS4) - Charles and Susanne Somers are being sued for over $100,000 in a lawsuit that alleges their dogs and ferret seriously damaged a home they rented in Aspen with feces, according to the Aspen Daily News.
According to the lawsuit filed by George Frampton, the owner of the $5.3 million home, the Somers signed a long-term lease in August 2014 to rent the six-bedroom, six-bathroom residence. They lived in the home with their four children and three dogs until June 10, 2015.
Frampton's attorney wrote that the "defendants' dogs were not housebroken, as required by the original lease … at least one of the defendants' dogs suffered from incontinence."
After the Somers had moved out, Frampton inspected the home and found the dogs had urinated and defecated throughout the residence. The lawsuit says it was "on floors, carpets, rugs, walls and furniture."
The lease had also required the tenants retain a housekeeper to clean the house twice a week. The lawsuit said "the housekeeper regularly found fresh feces and urine throughout."
Though not allowed under the lease agreement, the lawsuit claims the family kept what "may have been a ferret or similar animal," in a cage in a bedroom. This pet also defected and urinated on the room's walls and floor, causing staining.
An outdoor stone patio is allegedly stained black from the dogs' feces.
Frampton said in the lawsuit that he found crayons, or other wax, with pencils mashed into the home's fireplace, and that the Somers allowed smoke to drift out of the fireplace causing damage to the ceiling and artwork.
The Somers' children allegedly damaged the wood floors by riding skateboards or the like inside the home, drew graffiti on walls and banisters, and made multiple holes in the walls.
The price of rent that the Somers paid is unknown, but the damages exceeded the security deposit.
The defendants also allegedly allowed additional people to stay in the home, which was in violation of the lease that calls for an addition $1,000 per extra person per night.
