April Hurley thought she was safe in her home on Sept. 19, 2023. What began as a routine night ended with a brutal attack on the Baltimore resident and her friend, allegedly at the hands of Jason Billingsley.

Now, attorneys from Murphy, Falcon and Murphy have announced a lawsuit against Eden’s Homes, Property Pals and Billingsley.

According to court documents, Billingsley sliced Hurley’s throat, tortured and sexually assaulted her before setting Hurley and her guest, Jonte Gilmore, on fire in her Upton home on Sep. 19.

The pair managed to survive the attack after receiving emergency care at Shock Trauma.

Six days later, Baltimore tech founder Pava LaPere was discovered dead on the rooftop of her Mount Vernon apartment building. She was discovered after being strangled and ruthlessly beaten to death. Only then did Baltimore police publicly identify Billingsley as a threat to the public. As a result, he was spotted and apprehended in Bowie, Md. on Sep. 27.

Billingsley, a registered sex offender and convicted felon, was employed as a maintenance worker for Eden’s Homes and Property Pals. The companies managed and owned Hurley’s home, respectively. Hurley is suing the companies and Billingsley for compensatory damages.

“The fact that I’m sitting here in front of you today is honestly a miracle,” said Hurley during the press conference, tears streaming down her face. “Sometimes it’s still unbelievable I’m here. Jason Billingsley literally tried to take my life. This could have been prevented. He would have never had the chance if my former landlord and property manager did not hire him.”

The complaint alleges that Eden’s Home and Property Pals are “vicariously liable” for the false imprisonment, assault and battery of Hurley under respondeat superior, a legal doctrine that makes an employer responsible for the actions of its employees. It also alleges that the companies were negligent in hiring Billingsley as a background check would have revealed his criminal history.

When Hurley encountered Billingsley in her home at 842 Edmondson Avenue, the maintenance worker said he was responding to a flood in her kitchen. Still today she bears a scar on her neck from Billingsley’s attempts to slash it, and she’s been unable to return to work due to mental distress caused as a result of the attack.

“The problem that we have with what happened here and why it was so preventable is that it’s clear to us that Eden’s Homes and Property Pals did not look into Mr. Billingsley’s background,” said Malcolm P. Ruff, trial attorney and associate at Murphy, Falcon and Murphy. “He was a repeat violent offender. He had sexually assaulted a woman and been sentenced to serve 16 active years in jail back in 2013, and he had been released well before his sentence had ended.”

“If Eden’s Homes and Property Pals had cared to take the time to look into his background, they would never –and should never– have let someone with that record and known propensity for violence to be in someone’s private residence and to have access to their home.”

Ruff also questioned why police treated Hurley’s attack differently than LaPere’s murder. The Baltimore Police Department initially characterized the Sep. 19 incident as an arson and say, for that reason, they did not immediately alert the public to the crime. Further details about the incident were revealed in light of LaPere’s death.

“These incidents happened less than a mile away from each other, but Ms. Hurley’s incident happened on the other side of MLK Boulevard,” said Ruff. “Mrs. Hurley and Mr. Gilmore were violently attacked during a home invasion, she was sexually assaulted and they were almost burned alive– why did the Baltimore Police Department categorize this as an arson? Why wouldn’t we want the public to know how heinous and serious this situation was?”

“Maybe that proper and accurate categorization of what happened to these Black people on the other side of MLK might have saved Pava LaPere’s life, but instead, their pain and attack was treated differently,” Ruff continued.

There is no Maryland law that requires employers to conduct background checks on employees. The state’s “Ban the Box” statute, or the Maryland Criminal Records Screening Act, prohibits employers from conducting criminal background checks on job seekers until they’ve had their first interview.

But, Hurley’s counsel asserts that Eden’s Homes and Property Pals had an obligation to investigate Billingsley, particularly because he had keys to Hurley’s and other residents’ homes.

“There’s no specific state statute that’s requiring this, but there’s a duty to look into somebody’s background when you hire them—especially when that individual is going to be given a position of trust and access to your home, which is our most sacred space,” said Andrew K. O’Connell, partner at Murphy, Falcon and Murphy.

Hurley is seeking an excess of $75,000 from the defendants. The AFRO reached out for comment from Eden’s Homes and Property Pals but did not receive a response.

Megan Sayles is a Report for America corps member.