Airbnb Arbitration Bid Fails After Woman Falls at Party Spot

Airbnb Inc. can’t compel a woman to arbitrate her injury claims stemming from a birthday party at a spot booked by her sister, a federal magistrate judge ruled.

Adenike Matthew-Ajayi may have signed an arbitration agreement with the online property rental company when she made an account months prior, but “courts do not send a matter to arbitration merely because the same parties agreed to arbitrate a different matter,” Magistrate Judge A. David Copperthite, of the US District Court for the District of Maryland, said. Airbnb failed to present evidence her sister acted on her behalf as an agent, and ...