WASHINGTON — An Annapolis couple has filed a $2 million lawsuit after discovering the house they purchased was infested with snakes.
As reported in the Capital Gazette, Jeff and Jody Brooks bought a house on the Broadneck Peninsula in December. The couple filed suit two weeks ago, claiming that the real estate agent withheld knowledge of the snakes.
The black rat snakes hibernated in the walls during the winter, forging paths from the roof to the basement. In early April, the couple’s young son, Thomas, saw a three-foot snake slithering from the house. The next week, a seven-foot snake was found in the basement.
The snakes aren’t poisonous and don’t harm humans. They eat mice and rats.
The Brooks family has named real estate agent Barbara Van Horn and former homeowner Joan Broseker in the lawsuit. Van Horn declined comment to the Capital Gazette. Her attorney, Barbara Palmer, citing policy, said Champion Realty doesn’t comment publicly on matters related to ongoing litigation.
