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Sascha Jovanovic, a California-based noted dentist, rented out his luxurious Brentwood guest house as an Airbnb to Elizabeth Hirschhorn, who has been squatting there for about 540 days. The dentist sued when Elizabeth refused to move out and pay the due rent for her elongated stay at his house. However, the tenant filed a counter-lawsuit, leading Sascha to face some legal troubles.
Dr. Sascha A. Jovanovic is esteemed among the founders of the surgical procedure known as guided bone regeneration (GBR). He received formal training in periodontics, implant dentistry, and prosthodontics from UCLA School of Dentistry, Loma Linda University, and the University of Aachen, Germany, respectively. He also got his Master of Science degree from UCLA, where he pursued Oral Biology.
His field of clinical work is restricted to bone & soft tissue reconstruction and dental implant therapy. Sascha has also founded the gIDE Dental Institute and holds the position of the Academic Chairman of the institution as well. Apart from that, Sascha Jovanovic also serves as an Assistant Professor at California’s Loma Linda University School of Dentistry.
Sascha delivers lectures, propagates his teachings in implant protocols worldwide, and has published over 65 articles. He also serves the role of the Editor-in-Chief for the gIDE academic curriculum, where he is on multiple editorial boards evaluating scientific journals.
Airbnb fiasco between Sascha and 'tenant from hell' explored
Elizabeth Hirschhorn rented out Sascha Jovanovic’s Brentwood Airbnb with a view of the Los Angeles hills in September 2021. She initially booked it for six months at a nightly rate of $105. According to court documents, the total rental fee for her six-month stay came to $20,793. After her visit ended in April 2022, Elizabeth did not move out and continued living there without paying any rent ever since.
As per the court documents, Sascha and Elizabeth had been cordial with each other for the first few months of her stay, and the two even shared small talk over tea on a deck separating Sascha’s Accessory Dwelling Unit and the main house. However, after five months, the beef started fueling when Elizabeth complained about her electronic blinds.
When Sascha went into her unit to repair the blinds, he also noticed signs of water damage and mold around the sink, which he claimed did not exist before the tenant’s move-in. The dentist offered to pay Elizabeth so that she could stay at a hotel for a few days while his contractor dealt with the repairs. But the tenant declined and wrote to Sascha:
“I don’t feel safe being forced to vacate with a housing disability and the high risks of COVID-19 complications.”
As a reference, Elizabeth provided a doctor’s note from 2011 about her extreme chemical sensitivities and Los Angeles’ COVID-19 Tenant Protection Resolution. Sascha still tried to appease her and offered her to stay in his home, but Elizabeth also turned down that offer and cited an extreme allergy to cat dander.
Soon, it became clear to Sascha Jovanovic that Elizabeth Hirschhorn would not leave Airbnb or allow him access inside the ADU. The dentist then reluctantly agreed for her to stay till April 12 and lent her some time to find another place.
Elizabeth asked for more time, and Sascha told her he had other upcoming Airbnb reservations. But even then, he gave her some extra weeks. When the tenant did not move out, Sascha involved the city housing department and filed a motion to evict Elizabeth Hirschhorn.
However, Elizabeth reached out to Los Angeles’ Department of Building Safety. She found two code violations that stated that Sascha’s ADU did not have legal approval for occupancy and that Sascha had constructed a shower without a permit. Elizabeth also complained against Sascha to a housing investigator, alleging harassment, illegal eviction, and refusal to pay relocation fees.
It led the housing investigator to conclude that Sascha had to withdraw his eviction notices sent to the tenant until he could provide legal evidence of the guest house complying with the city codes. Sascha Jovanovic was fined $660 for noncompliance.
He then sued Elizabeth Hirschhorn in two separate cases — an appeal of the decision of the judge to dismiss the case of eviction and a damage complaint to compensate $58,000 in paid rent.
But Elizabeth filed a countersuit against Sascha in August. She accused him of 15 violations, including intentional infliction of emotional distress, nuisance, negligence, a breach of the COVID procedures in LA County, and unlawful business practices. Elizabeth demanded a $100,000 relocation fee from Sascha in exchange for moving out from his Airbnb.
Her attorney, Amanda Seward, stated that paying the amount would be the cheapest way for Sascha to get out of the ordeal. Seward also argued that Elizabeth should not be paying any rent and should be paid back the initial $20,793 that she had to pay for six months, reasoning that the city did not approve Sascha’s guest house for occupancy.
Elizabeth Hirschhorn was called a “tenant from hell” by Sascha’s attorney, Sebastian Rucci, who said:
“If she’s right, the theory is that if a landlord has something that isn’t permitted, then you can stay in it rent-free forever.”
The Internet has a wild reaction to the Airbnb drama
A user shared the drued between Sascha and Elizabeth on Reddit on October 10. While some people sided with Elizabeth and said that Sascha was in the wrong for illegally renting out his ADU, others called both wrong for their conduct towards each other.
As the lawsuits are still ongoing, Elizabeth Hirschhorn continues living on Sascha’s property.
