The landmark Hollywood Roosevelt hotel was sued today by a neighboring resident who says the establishment’s air conditioning and heating system is rattling his apartment so much it has affected everything from his sleep to his job.
Douglas Markuson is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the Los Angeles Superior Court private nuisance suit.
“Plaintiff was so extremely debilitated by the noise and vibrations that he was unable to work,” the suit states.
A hotel representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The 45-year-old Markuson is a longtime tenant at his unit on Hawthorn Avenue and says that, in August 2023, he began hearing “excessive and persistent noise” from HVAC systems, compressors, chillers and large industrial fans behind the hotel.
“The intensity and persistence of the noise and vibrations not only interfered with plaintiff’s quiet enjoyment of his residence, but also caused physical discomfort and medical symptoms, including … sleep disturbance, stress and neurological issues that required medical attention,” according to the suit.\
Hotel management was repeatedly told that the 24/7 noise was disturbing both Markuson and other nearby residents, and the city issued an order to the establishment regarding the problem, but the Roosevelt has “willfully failed to abate the condition,” the suit alleges.
The Roosevelt management also “knew or should have known” that operating such equipment in its current condition and configuration would result in continuous and excessive noise and vibrations, the suit further states.
The Roosevelt’s website includes a photo of Marilyn Monroe lounging at its pool and also notes that Charlie Chaplin was a guest.
