Unfortunately, ATL editor emeritus Kashmir Hill has never been molested. But I think she’s getting rogered-but-good by her landlord.
Kash, who recently moved to D.C., sent us pictures of her Halloween party this year because, well, I asked, and one of the cool things about my job is that I can generally demand that women send in pictures of themselves without it sounding too creepy.
She had a pirate-themed party. But when she showed me why she went with that theme, my lawyer brain kicked in and instead of a suggestively dressed Kash, I saw a potential lawsuit in the making.
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Since ATL readers have been so helpful with my own landlord/tenant issues, I thought you guys might be able to provide Kash with some unsolicited advice.
And yes, I’ll show you her Halloween costume in the bargain….
Here are the basics: Kash had a “pirate” Halloween party because people have to “walk the plank” to get into her building. At the end of September, building management replaced the outdoor stairs to her building with, literally, a wooden plank.
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The work has been coming along slowly on the stairs and there’s no firm date for when the plank will be thrown overboard. Here’s a picture a party-goer took of her building:
Does that look safe to you? It doesn’t look safe to me.
But what can one do in that situation? Obviously, once somebody falls and busts his ass trying to ski up the plank during a D.C. snowstorm, there will be tort actions of all kinds. But isn’t there something that can be done before the (inevitable) injury, to move the ball forward? I think Kash and her neighbors need to occupy the management office until somebody installs some steps, or maybe a rope-and-pulley system to help people safely enter their apartments.
Kash, for her part, is making the best of the situation. She’s having pirate parties and dressing up with her boyfriend as “software pirates.” I suppose that’s how happy non-lawyers handle this kind of crap.
Can we think of more aggressive ways of dealing with the situation?
As promised, here’s pictorial evidence of making a house party out of a hazard….