SF Chronicle – Airbnb rebuked in SF lawsuit

November 8, 2016
A federal judge has handed Airbnb a rebuke in its long-standing dispute with its hometown. Airbnb and co-plaintiff HomeAway failed to prove that San Francisco’s latest attempt to crack down on vacation rentals in private homes violate their rights, U.S. District Judge James Donato said in an 18-page decision issued Tuesday. However, because San Francisco lacks a “functional verification system” to enforce the law, the judge said the ordinance should remain suspended for now. San Francisco and the companies should try to work out a joint proposal for how to enforce the law before a hearing set for Nov. 17, he said. After that hearing, the judge will rule on Airbnb’s request for a temporary injunction to block San Francisco’s law. But since Donato refuted most of Airbnb’s arguments in Tuesday’s ruling, he’s signaled that he is likely to reject Airbnb’s request — meaning that San Francisco could begin enforcing the new law, putting Airbnb on the hook for steep fines and penalties….
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Airbnb-rebuked-in-SF-lawsuit-10602042.php