NC Court of Appeals to Hear Asheville Man’s Airbnb Shooting Lawsuit

Marcus Deshon Blair filed a civil suit on Jan. 8, 2025, naming Airbnb and property owner Martin Ford after a 2022 birthday party at a short-term rental in Asheville where Blair was shot. The complaint seeks punitive damages and legal fees, and it frames the case as a potential test of whether the short-term-rental platform can be held accountable under North Carolina law.

Blair’s filings tie the incident to the city’s regulatory environment, noting Asheville adopted strict short-term rental rules in 2018. The complaint includes a detailed allegation that, "Upon information and belief, Airbnb were aware of, participated in, and/or monitored the development, implementation, community debate, city council meetings, and/or enactment of the City of Asheville's short-term rental ban and homestay rules, regulations, and/or permitting requirements in or before 2018 and were aware of same prior to January 9, 2022, the date on which Plaintiff was catastrophically injured at the property during an Airbnb party." That language is central to the plaintiff’s theory that the company knew the local regulatory risks tied to rentals in Asheville.

Reports vary on the immediate injuries. Earlier local coverage and social media posts say Blair was shot four times; a national summary of the complaint says he was shot and left paralyzed. The suit characterizes those as life-altering injuries resulting from alleged negligence by the platform and the homeowner. The reservation that led to the party is described in court papers as having been made using government-issued identification listing the renter’s birthdate as Jan. 9, 2001, which the complaint says placed the person who reserved the property under 25 at the time of the 2022 shooting.

The case arrives amid heightened scrutiny of Airbnb and other platforms over house-party violence nationwide. The complaint cites Asheville’s 2018 ordinance as part of a claim that Airbnb was on notice of local risks and regulatory debate. Legal observers point to a related 2024 lawsuit in which parents of a teenager killed at an Airbnb party in 2021 secured a ruling in San Francisco that blocked an early dismissal; that decision has been used as a comparative touchstone by litigants testing platform liability.

For Buncombe County hosts, neighbors and city officials, the litigation carries clear practical stakes. A ruling for Blair could increase exposure for property owners and platforms, influence insurance premiums for short-term rentals, and pressure enforcement of local permitting and hosting rules. It could also affect the supply and marketing of short-term rentals in neighborhoods that rely on home-sharing income.

What comes next is procedural: the complaint has been filed and the court process will determine whether the claims survive initial motions and how courts interpret platform responsibility for third-party conduct at hosted events. For residents who rent rooms or list entire homes, the case signals a legal spotlight on host vetting, guest screening and compliance with Asheville’s short-term rental rules. Expect local court dockets and filings to clarify the number of wounds, the identity and status of any criminal suspects, and whether the dispute advances to higher courts as a precedent-setting test of platform liability.