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An Arvada woman was forced to flee her senior apartment complex after suffering months of bedbug bites, a new lawsuit alleges.
Dorcas Wilson had lived at Heritage Apartments at 10400 W. 62nd Place, Arvada, for three years when the infestation reportedly began in mid-2024. She immediately notified management, but they were already aware of the problem, according to the lawsuit filed in Jefferson County District Court on May 15.
That’s because the bedbugs came from another apartment in the complex. Building management had failed to eradicate the infestation and “deliberately chose not to notify” other tenants, including Wilson, the lawsuit argues.
Management “recklessly chose to turn a blind eye to this infestation,” the lawsuit reads. “As time went on, [Wilson] saw more and more live bedbugs in her apartment. She endured countless bites all over her body. Her bites swelled into itching, burning and painful welts as she continued to get bitten over and over again.”
A spokesperson for Skyline Property Management, which oversees Heritage Apartments, confirms that a bedbug infestation began at least six months before the pests reportedly reached Wilson’s apartment.
“The first reported bedbug activity occurred on November 30, 2023, by Ms. Wilson’s neighbor,” says Jennifer Fischer, director of operations at Skyline Property Management. “Steps were immediately taken to remediate the problem. At this time, there are no known bedbug issues at Heritage Apartments.”
Wilson initially reported the bedbugs in May 2024, according to the lawsuit. She moved out of Heritage Apartments in October 2024, according to Fischer.
Despite “several” reports to management, the infestation did not improve over that timeframe, the lawsuit alleges. Wilson even sought medical care at the end of June 2024 due to the extent of her bites, it says, noting that she suffered pain, itchiness and “many sleepless nights” from anxiety and discomfort.
Wilson is not the first resident to publicly complain about bedbugs. Two seemingly unrelated Google reviews for the apartment complex detail an infestation occurring around one year ago.
“[My mom] has bedbugs because the management company has not cleaned other apartments that were infested properly. It’s now just spreading from apartment to apartment,” one reviewer wrote, adding that she had to hire her own outside exterminator. “They have zero empathy for these older residents.”
“This place should be condemned,” another reviewer wrote of the building’s bedbug infestation. “They’re literally hauling away dumpsters full of people’s furniture because they’ve let it go for so long.”
The lawsuit describes the handling of the infestation as showing a “culture of extreme indifference and reckless disregard for the value of human life and the rights of their tenants.” It argues that the management did not adequately protect tenants from exposure or adequately train employees.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of financial compensation for Wilson’s pain and suffering, in addition to economic damages, including medical expenses, moving expenses, replacement costs of infested belongings, lost wages, pet care costs and hotel expenses.
Wilson’s attorney declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Fischer said Skyline Property Management is “not aware of any current lawsuits” involving Heritage Apartments. She did not respond when Westword sent her a copy of the lawsuit.
