Airbnb wins lawsuit against Aimco over unauthorized leases

A California judge has dismissed Aimco's (Apartment Investment & Management Company) lawsuit against Airbnb that alleged that the company was deliberately incentivizing people to breach their leases. The company filed lawsuits in California and Florida state courts, seeking monetary damages as well as to stop Airbnb from enabling people to breach their leases.

Back in October, Aimco filed a motion for preliminary injunction to halt Airbnb's operations at four of its Southern California properties. However, Airbnb argued that it can't be held responsible for Aimco's tenants and their guests.

"We are pleased with the court's decision that ensures Airbnb can continue to support tenant hosts who use our platform to help pay the bills," Airbnb spokesperson, Nick Papas said. However, Aimco said, "We disagree with the court’s reasoning and application of the Communication Decency Act and we are considering all of our legal options in California."

Aimco asserted that Airbnb is an information content provider, which makes the company legally responsible for all the content on its platform. However, the court had a different opinion. The court said that Airbnb is not an information provider, as it hosts content rather than creating it.

Aimco still has an active lawsuit against Airbnb in Florida.