was contained in the mist produced by the hotel’s hot tub. After the men became gravely ill from the disease, department investigators went to the hotel to examine the hot tub…”It took the jury less than an hour to reach the verdict in a civil lawsuit against Devi LLC, an Oxford-based company that owns the Oxford Fairfield Inn and Suites and Courtyard by Marriot. The Fairfield Inn, which was previously named Wingate Inn in 2008, was where the incident occurred.
The lawsuit was filed by Rodney Handley and Emanuel Howard, who alleged they contracted Legionnaires’ disease after using a Wingate hot tub in May 2008. Both men worked for Jefferson County and were in the area to assist in cleanup efforts after a tornado hit Heflin. The hot tub has since been removed from the building.
Handley died of a heart attack in January of this year at age 44, but his brother, Brent Handley, continued on with the lawsuit, said plaintiffs’ attorney Todd Wheeles.
“They told the hotel to close the hot tub and lock it up,†Wheeles said. “However, the next morning, the staff goes in and cleans and disinfects the area … so when the ADPH gets back to get samples, the evidence was destroyed.â€
Wheeles added that evidence showed hotel management provided incorrect maintenance records about the hot tub to the ADPH.
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