A woman shot multiple times during a November 2025 party in Ohio has filed a lawsuit against Airbnb, the property owner, and party organizers.
The victim, Brooklyn Diener, says she suffered permanent physical and psychological injuries at the $1.5 million mansion rented as a short-term rental property despite a township ban when she attended the party in Bath Township, Ohio, which is located about 12 miles from Akron, according to local NBC affiliate “WKYC.”
The lawsuit alleges that the 2025 shooting was a foreseeable result of operating an illegal rental in violation of local zoning.
Eighteen-year-old Elijah Wells of Akron died four days after the incident, and eight others were injured when gunfire erupted at the birthday party advertised on social media.
The suit noted that since 2017, at least 26 parties in Ohio have ended in shootings at short-term rental properties.
Bath Township amended its zoning resolution in 2014 to prohibit short-term rentals, transient lodging, or bed-and-breakfast uses in residential districts.
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According to the publication, the property owner, Shauna Gardner, operated the home as a short-term rental marketed to the public regardless of the prohibition. Her husband, Michael Jones, bought the property for $1.2 million in 2022 while facing federal fraud charges, then transferred ownership to Gardner before beginning a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
Diener is now seeking compensatory damages exceeding $25,000, plus punitive damages and attorney fees.
Alicia Wells, mother of the deceased victim, is also reportedly planning to file a lawsuit over her own.
Gardner has since listed the property for sale at $1.5 million, which may complicate collection if plaintiffs prevail.
