A woman is suing Big Cedar LLC, claiming that a room she stayed in at the Branson resort was infested with bedbugs.
According to a lawsuit originally filed in Taney County in October, an Illinois woman named Debra Hayden said she suffered more than 100 bed bug bites all over her body after living in two different cabins at Big Cedar Lodge in September.
In a statement to the news leader earlier this week, Big Cedar (which is part of the Bass Pro Shops brand) pointed out their cleanliness record and said they “strongly deny these allegations and trust that the trial will reveal the truth” .
The lawsuit says Hayden and her husband stayed at Big Cedar Lodge while on a trip to celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary, but the vacation turned ugly for two days when Hayden’s back started itchy and then got progressively worse.
Hayden suspected her itchy skin was caused by bed bug bites and informed the staff at Big Cedar Lodge. When she returned to Illinois, Hayden sought emergency room treatment for the “unbearable” itching and burning sensation. The emergency care facility staff confirmed that the cause of the discomfort, according to the complaint, was bed bug bites.
In the lawsuit, Hayden alleges that Big Cedar negligently failed to provide Hayden with safe, clean accommodation.
The lawsuit alleges that Big Cedar received a complaint about a bed bug infestation in another room on September 2, the same day Hayden and her husband checked in, but did not respond appropriately.
In its responsive court filing, Big Cedar says it inspected the room following the Sept. 2 complaint and found no bed bugs or bed bug activity.
On the file, Big Cedar also denies the other bed bug-related allegations in Hayden’s lawsuit.
Here is the full explanation Big Cedar gave the news leader on the bed bug allegations:
“We take the health and safety of our resort accommodations very seriously and have been consistently recognized for our cleanliness by leading travel publications and thousands of guests. While we do not address any pending litigation, we strongly deny these claims and trust the court case will reveal the truth.”
