Here is a rather interesting post from The Total Injury Blog about a recent case out of Illinois where a woman sustained personal injuries due to alleged bed bug bites:

“A Chicago couple has filed a $20 million law suit against a Catskills resort where the woman sustained nearly 500 bed bug bites. Although bed bug bites are usually fairly harmless, the woman apparently suffered an allergic reaction that required medical treatment.

In at least one previous case, a hotel has been ordered to pay large punitive damages to a guest bitten by bed bugs. In a 2003 case, the plaintiff was awarded $5000 in compensatory damages for bed bug bites that were annoying but not harmful, and an additional $186,000 in punitive damages.

The court in that case considered the fact that, in the absence of a large punitive damage award, it might be profitable for the hotel to deceive customers rather than addressing the bed bug problem.”