Fort Lauderdale Hotel Sues Southwest Over Flood
- Renaissance Hotel in Fort Lauderdale sues Southwest Airlines after a flight attendant triggered fire sprinklers causing flooding. - Damage estimated at nearly $217,000 from the incident. - Lawsuit seeks compensation amid claims of negligence by airline staff cbs12.com
A Fort Lauderdale hotel is suing Southwest Airlines over a sprinkler discharge that allegedly flooded rooms and caused more than $215,000 in damage. (cbs12.com) The plaintiff is 17th Street Hotel LLC, which operates the Renaissance Hotel Fort Lauderdale. The case was filed in federal court in South Florida on April 8, 2026, after being removed from Broward County court. (justia.com) The hotel says the damage started on or about Feb. 1, 2025, when Southwest flight attendant Jade Tsougas was staying there on a work layover. The complaint alleges she “negligently interfered” with a fire sprinkler in her room despite a warning sign telling guests not to tamper with it. (cbs12.com) According to the complaint, water spread beyond that room into other guest rooms and hotel work areas, including the front desk and offices. The hotel says it had to cancel reservations and hire restoration crews to dry, sanitize, and deodorize affected spaces. (aol.com) The lawsuit puts the claimed loss at either “nearly $217,000” or $215,576, depending on the filing and outlet summarizing it. The hotel says that total includes repairs, remediation, loss of use, and lost profits tied to the flooding. (cbs12.com) (aol.com) The legal fight turns on two questions: whether the sprinkler went off because of tampering, and whether Southwest can be held responsible for an employee’s conduct during a company-arranged overnight stay. The hotel says its post-incident inspection found no sprinkler malfunction. (cbs12.com) The complaint also accuses Southwest of failing to properly instruct or supervise its employee. It argues Tsougas was acting within the scope of her employment because Southwest booked and paid for the room as part of a work assignment. (cbs12.com) Southwest had filed a notice of appearance in the case by late April, according to court records cited by CBS12. PEOPLE reported the airline did not immediately respond to its request for comment. (cbs12.com) (aol.com) A case management conference in the underlying Broward County matter was scheduled for June 2, according to court records cited by CBS12. For now, the hotel is asking the court to make Southwest and the flight attendant pay for a flood it says started with one sprinkler head in one room. (cbs12.com)
