Seattle Hotel Alleges Fentanyl, Meth Contamination After City-Leased Homeless Program; Lawsuit Cites Infant Death

Seattle, WA – The owner of the Civic Hotel, Neha Nariya, has filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle and King County, alleging severe fentanyl and methamphetamine contamination of her property after it was leased for use as a homeless shelter. The suit claims that the local governments failed to properly clean and manage the premises, leading to the hotel being rendered uninhabitable and tragically citing the death of an infant found with drugs in their system.

The Civic Hotel was leased by Nariya and her late father to Seattle and King County in 2020 to serve as a temporary low-barrier homeless shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nariya stated that her family intended to assist the community during a crisis, but now feels left with a crisis of their own. The lease concluded in December 2024, after which the alleged contamination was discovered.

According to the lawsuit, the entire hotel, which underwent a full renovation in 2018, is now permeated with fentanyl and meth residue. A central point of the legal action is the tragic death of a baby in 2024, found deceased within the hotel with fentanyl and meth in their system, leading to the infant's mother, a tenant, being charged with murder. Nariya contends that the city failed to adequately supervise tenants and prevent illicit drug use.

In legal filings, the City of Seattle's Attorney's office admitted that "King County failed to clean and repair damage to the premises" and that "The City admits that it did not obtain a bid from a bio-cleaning company." However, the city denied that its license required "carefully supervis[ing] tenants." King County, in turn, stated it was "without sufficient information to form a belief as to the truth of" some allegations.

Purpose Dignity Action (PDA), an organization that helped manage the site during part of the lease, refuted claims of mismanagement. In a statement, PDA asserted, "during our tenure, we required that our program participants not smoke any substances inside the building, and we enforced that requirement." They added that a thorough visual inspection was conducted upon their departure, and "the building was in good shape, including removal of all garbage and debris."

Nariya expressed concerns that the city and county might be intentionally delaying resolution to devalue the property, potentially for a future Sound Transit light rail station acquisition. The hotel owner also fears that the extensive damage could prevent the Civic Hotel from reopening in time for the 2026 World Cup, impacting her family's immediate income.