Sitter threatening to sue for injury without telling me the issue

Owner Questions, Advice & Chat
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I had a first-time sitter, a mature lady, to look after my low maintenance house cats over Christmas. She was pretty high maintenance herself, but these things happen. The day after she left, perfectly fine according to her cheerful messages and the external camera, I got this message:

’I hope this finds you well, busy you said and
understandibly but I only wanted to talk with you as to how to address with an insurance of the housesit an injury I suffered there.
Please kindly let me know how to proceed.’

Four days later, and she has still refused to tell me what the issue is. This is a clear statement of intent to sue for damages, but she won’t tell me why (so I can gather up evidence to defend myself, as the external cameras have a limited store of a week on my device). She was a difficult sitter in a number of ways, but I felt sorry for her. This behaviour, however, feels not only unreasonable but also really stressful.

Does anyone have any experience of threats of this kind, and advice on how I can protect myself? Her behaviour has been erratic, so I have requested she not visit my house again, blocked her on WhatsApp, and requested she put the details in the THS messaging service so there is some potential oversight there from the platform (who won’t themselves intervene, but I want them to see what she’s like).

The details I have requested are: the date, time, specifics of the incident with all the details, documented as much as possible, and to explain how you feel this incident was due to my actions (or non-actions).

Is there any other information I should ask for? Obviously it is very sad to think someone has been injured in your home, but this refusal to share details beyond this statement of injury and apparent demand for damages is impossible to respond to. Surely she needed to inform me at the time of the incident?

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2

I hope that that gets reflected in your review of her.

Any legal issues of course depend on jurisdiction. I suppose this litigious person is a US sitter.

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3

I don’t read this as an intent to sue for damages at all…. my 1st thought was that she hurt herself so might be claiming on her own travel insurance maybe? And of course if she burnt or cut herself in the kitchen perhaps her insurers might contact your insurers.

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4

You should be able to download the video from your cameras. Do that for sure. Then wait and see. No law suit nor insurance claim moves anywhere without details. Until they provide details, ignore them. If you do get details, check with your insurer on how to proceed.

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I agree with you and it seems like English is not her first language…so perhaps that adds to the confusion. She may think there is special insurance that would cover this and is unsure how insurance works? Maybe responding with: “I’m not aware of any insurance connected to a housesit itself. If you’re referring to a claim through your own travel or health insurance, they would normally ask you for details of the incident.”

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Let her know how to proceed. Ask you insurance, if she would be covered, and what to do. Let the insurance company decide if she has a claim. (This is not advice for USA, there you might admit liability or something if you do anything).

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I’d ignore her if you’re in the U.S. Even enquiries with insurers can end up putting you on watch lists and so far she’s offered no info that sounds credible or actionable for you.

You can of course download security video from her stay as a CYA measure.

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8

I was thinking exactly the same. Sounds like she’s got a screw loose

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Nature of injury?
Medical treatment sought due to injury?
Expenses incurred due to injury? Potential future expenses?
Potential impact on quality of life, future earning potential?
Proof of her insurance information and deductible?

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I’m not sure whether this is helpful, but did some digging in relation to the T&Cs implemented in December. In themselves, they raise a number of legal concerns, particularly from a sitter’s perspective.

Setting those aside, if there is any attempt to rely on the T&Cs in this context, it may be worth noting that their content and enforceability could be questioned in their entirety, solely on the basis of how they were introduced and implemented.

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I agree with @Maggie8K’s advice. I would add that I might report this to Trusted Housesitter’s as you might have coverage through them depending on your tier if her intent is to make some kind of claim and/or she might have coverage from them. It also feels like something they shoud know about. As she is being so vague, you don’t know if this happened inside or outside your home or what, but it definitely sounds like you should check the video tape just in case there is anything on it and find out how to save it.

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12

Thank you to all. I’m UK based. There doesn’t seem to be much in the community forum about this kind of thing, so I’ hope it’s not common. It could be a language issue, but I feel it is odd that someone so mature should have such a poor grasp of how insurance works; I’m not clear how this could be something other than a claim for damages. I prefer not to bother my insurance as I have genuinely no idea what this relates. to. And I feel it is right not to give her my home insurance details and leave her to it…

I also feel it is odd that she doesn’t understand that it’s so concerning to learn someone has had an incident that has affected them to need to contact insurers - of course I want/need to know the details…. I don’t not care.

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Download the videos but otherwise, wait for her to file a suit. She is likely bluffing but you have no obligation to provide her with any information so she can sue you, especially if you believe there is no basis for a claim.

She can file in the county court if she wants but of course then she will have to provide details at that point.

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That was my first thought as well

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15

You’ve done all the correct things, imo. If she’s serious about a claim, she’s going to have to either give you more info, or secure a solicitor. Otherwise she’s just testing the waters or throwing a hail mary in hopes you’ll offer her something.

So sorry you’re dealing with this. It is the exception rather than the rule. :confused:

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16

Since she has not responded, I would say, until you give me specifics on your injuries I will consider this matter closed. I also would need copies of your medical visits and doctors findings relating to this injury. Then forget about her and go about your life. She is testing you to see how panicked you get to see what she can get from you. Will probably ask you for money. Sounds like a scam.

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Hi @eadams

I understand how stressful this situation must be, especially with the lack of details and clarity from the sitter. At this point, it’s important to stay calm and focused. Keep accurate records of all communication with her, including her request for insurance details. Document everything and save any video footage or other evidence you have, as this could be important later. Make sure to keep THS in the loop by using the platform’s messaging service, as this will help ensure there’s a record of everything. Until she provides specific details of the incident, it’s best to hold off on taking any action. It’s also worth keeping a record of when you requested the details (date, time, and specifics of the injury) to demonstrate your efforts to resolve the situation professionally.

:paw_prints::heart:

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You are from the UK, assuming she is not. Is it potentially differences in usual insurance situations? I’m thinking of another post where a sitter broke a couch in possibly Germany and the HO wanted to claim on the sitters liability insurance which appears to be compulsory in Germany and some other countries but not worldwide? Without further information what could you do and it does seem an unreasonable request and rather strange.

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Here in the US if faced with a similar situation my advice would be to contact your agent who is acting in your best interests as their customer and who presumably has the knowledge and training to know if anything further needs to be done to protect yourself but I’d be cautious about taking the matter to the insurance company.

As a business owner/former eye doctor I once got a letter from an obese patient who intended to file suit for damages allegedly related to her falling off a stool in the exam room.

Nothing ever came of it but because of the letter of intent I paid a couple of thousand bucks more in increased premiums for a few years.

I recall when I was contacted by the insurance company who was contacted by the woman’s attorney, I was chastised for not contacting them immediately upon being informed of the situation but it wasn’t like they refused to cover me.

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What !?! A litigious American !?!

Where did that generalisation come from ?

(Very tongue in cheek from someone quite familiar with the observation)

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