Chuck Newton: Bed Bug Law Niche

This is my point exactly. Legal niche practices are all around you. You just need to look around at what is going on and ask yourself where is the legal implications of that? Who are the prospective parties involved? Who could pay for my services?

I know this is likely to open up to a lot of humor. Laugh at it if you will. But, the return of bed bugs is a serious legal issue as well as a medical issue. They are blood suckers. They are proving devastating to those that have bed bug infestations. From my limited reading, bed bug infestations are up -- get this -- 5,000%. It takes only one bed bug to hitch a ride on clothing, or furniture delivered, or your suit case left in an infected hotel room, for example, to cause an over-powering infestation at some other location. And worse, bed bugs can survive for a year without feeding. An infestation is very difficult, costly and embarrassing with which to deal.

According to an article in The Washington Post, Daniel Whitney, has filed eight lawsuits on behalf of bed bug victims in the State of Maryland, seeking a total of $7 million in damages. And, he has even more lawsuits in the pipeline.

Whitney works on a contingency basis, recovering for his firm 33% to 40% of any settlement of judgment collected. Not a bad little niche discovery for an attorney that typically defended corporate clients in product liability and toxic tort cases.

Bed Bugs were thought extinct in the United States due to liberal use of the infamous poison DDT in the 1950s. But, they survived elsewhere in the World and are now invading hotels, college dorms, government building, department stores, and even Google.

According to George Washington University's newspaper The GW Hatchet, bed bugs have been found in five residence halls.

Sleepy's, the largest mattress retailer in the county, just settled a claim after being accused of delivering mattresses that were infested with bed bugs.

Bed bugs were recently found in the BBC studios at the UN.

Bed bugs were found in the Bloomington hospital in Indiana.

According to NY 1, there have been 336 confirmed cases of bed bugs in the New York school system.

Bed bugs have infiltrated Lincoln Center and the New York Ballet.

And, not that it overly concerns me, but, according to the New York Post, Howard Stern's radio studio in Manhattan as become infested.

According to Fox News, beg bugs have infested the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

ABC 7 News in Denver reports firefighters overcome with bed bugs when putting out a house fire.

Bloomingdale's department store in Manhattan has become invested with beg bugs.

The Bed Bug Registry recently twittered, warning that at holiday parties not to use a bed for a place to put your coat.

And really, where there is an issue, there is a need for expert legal advice on both sides of the divide. There has to be room for lawyers to not only defend those sued for exposing others to bed bugs, but in advising large companies, hotels, schools, retail establishments and others on the proper protocol to protect against legal action.

You can just imagine the serious issues concerning bed bugs apart from the inconvenience of treating for them. What if they are allowed to invest a nursing care facility or a hospice? What if there is a new born in the house infested? What if a mission critical office is infested? An apartment complex in which the ownership is not taking effective corrective measures? A jail? A courthouse?

What if you generally represent a company or investors that own or operate apartment buildings, commercial properties, public storage facilities, HOA or community associations, condos, maid or cleaning services, medical facilities or doctor groups, hospitals, luxury cruise lines, airlines, or ship product to the public?

It is probably a niche many lawyers should look into.