CJ-2025-8298 - Chad Elijah v. Cimarron Pointe Apartments, LLC

What's This Case About?

Let’s be real: most people move out of an apartment because of noise complaints, rent hikes, or maybe a bad landlord. But Chad Elijah and Candie Hall? They fled because their home became a venomous spider kingdom, and one of them ended up needing a skin graft after being bitten by a brown recluse. Yes, you read that right — a skin graft. From a spider bite. In 2025. In Oklahoma. This isn’t a horror movie; it’s a civil lawsuit, and honestly, it might be even scarier than fiction.

Chad and Candie weren’t looking for drama when they signed their lease at Cimarron Pointe Apartments on March 25, 2025. They just wanted a place to live — a normal, safe, spider-free apartment like the rest of us. What they got instead was a rental agreement that, hilariously and suspiciously, listed the owner as “Cimarron Point,” which, according to the filing, is not a real person or business. It’s like listing your landlord as “The Landlord Man” on a lease — legally flimsy and kind of poetic, if you’re into bureaucratic absurdity. The actual defendants are a corporate nesting doll: Cimarron Pointe Apartments, LLC; Cimarron Pointe Limited Partnership; Case & Associates Properties, Inc.; and Case Equities Corp., which, according to the filing, acts as the general partner. In other words, there’s a whole boardroom full of people who probably never stepped foot in Chad and Candie’s unit — but they’re all allegedly responsible for what happened inside it.

And what happened was this: spiders. Not just a couple of harmless daddy longlegs chilling in the corner. No, this was a full-blown infestation of brown recluse spiders — the kind with necrotic venom that can eat away at your flesh. These are the silent assassins of the arachnid world, known for hiding in dark corners, shoes, and yes, apparently, Oklahoma apartments. Chad and Candie first noticed something was off pretty quickly — you’d have to be comatose not to notice dozens of venomous spiders crawling around your kitchen. So they did what any reasonable tenant would do: they reported it. Repeatedly. To the management. Over and over. And at one point, in what has to be the most dramatic pest complaint in apartment history, they actually captured a spider in a glass jar and delivered it to the office like some kind of evidence on CSI: Oklahoma County. “Here’s Exhibit A,” you can almost hear them say. “This little guy tried to climb into my sock.”

And what did the management do? According to the petition, “minimal and insufficient action.” That’s legal speak for “they probably sprayed something once and called it a day.” The infestation wasn’t just in Chad and Candie’s unit — it had spread to other apartments and common areas. So this wasn’t a one-off bug problem. This was a systemic failure. A failure of spider containment. And yet, the landlords allegedly did nothing meaningful to stop it.

Then came June 2, 2025 — the day Chad got bit. While just existing in his own apartment, a brown recluse decided his leg looked like a good place to inject some flesh-destroying venom. The result? Extreme pain, tissue death (that’s the “localized necrosis” part), and a medical nightmare that required doctors to cut skin from Chad’s torso and graft it onto his leg. Let that sink in: a man had to have skin moved from one part of his body to another because his apartment was so infested with dangerous spiders that the landlord refused to fix. And they still expect rent on time?

At this point, you’d think the apartment complex would be falling over themselves to make it right. But no. Chad was still recovering — his leg wound raw, the spot on his torso where the skin was taken still healing — and the couple had no choice but to move out. Not because they wanted to, but because their home had become a biohazard. They followed every rule: paid all rent, gave proper notice, cleaned the apartment, returned it in perfect condition. The kind of tenants every landlord dreams of. And how did Cimarron Pointe thank them? By refusing to return their security deposit and slapping them with extra cleaning fees. Fees for cleaning a place that was, according to the plaintiffs, already spotless — because they were fleeing for their lives, not trashing the joint.

Legally, Chad and Candie are suing for breach of contract and negligence — which, in plain English, means: “You promised us a safe place to live, and you absolutely did not deliver.” Landlords have what’s called a “warranty of habitability” — a fancy way of saying your apartment shouldn’t try to kill you. That includes basic things like working heat, no lead paint, and, yes, not being overrun by venomous spiders. The plaintiffs argue the landlords knew about the infestation, failed to fix it, and that this directly led to Chad’s injury. They’re also claiming the landlords acted with “reckless disregard” and even “malice” — strong words, but when you ignore a jar of poisonous spiders handed to you by a tenant, you’re flirting with both.

Now, let’s talk money. They’re asking for $150,000 — $75,000 in actual damages (medical bills, lost wages, moving costs, emotional distress) and another $75,000 in punitive damages. That second chunk isn’t about covering costs — it’s about punishment. It’s the legal system’s way of saying, “What you did was so bad, we want to slap your wrist and make you pay for it.” Is $150,000 a lot? For a single apartment complex? Maybe not. For a guy who had to donate part of his torso to his leg? Honestly, it feels like the bare minimum. Punitive damages in cases like this can run into the millions when corporate negligence is proven — so $75k might actually be conservative.

Here’s the thing we can’t stop thinking about: the jar of spiders. That image is burned into our brains. A couple, terrified, holding up a glass prison containing a tiny, deadly creature, handing it to a property manager who probably just sighed and said, “We’ll look into it.” And then nothing happened. Not until someone got bit. Not until someone needed surgery. This isn’t just about spiders — it’s about being heard. About basic accountability. About not having to become a human science experiment because your landlord can’t be bothered to call an exterminator.

Are we rooting for Chad and Candie? Absolutely. Not just because of the skin graft — though that alone should qualify this case for a spot in the Hall of Infamy — but because they did everything right. They reported the problem. They documented it. They followed the rules. And still, they got screwed. If this doesn’t qualify as a breach of the sacred tenant-landlord trust, what does? We’re not saying every bug sighting deserves a lawsuit — but when you hand over a venomous spider in a jar and get ghosted, you’ve crossed into criminal negligence territory.

So here’s to Chad, healing up, with a leg that’s literally made of his own back skin. Here’s to Candie, who had to pack up their lives while her partner was in agony. And here’s to all of us who’ve ever found a suspicious spider in the bathroom and side-eyed our landlord’s commitment to pest control. This case is a reminder: your apartment should not be a survival challenge. And if it is? Maybe bring a jar.

Case Overview

$150,000 Demand Jury Trial Petition

Jurisdiction

District Court, Oklahoma

Filing Attorney

Brett Agee

Garvin Agee Carlton, P.C.

Relief Sought

$75,000 Monetary

$75,000 Punitive

Plaintiffs

Chad Elijah individual
Rep: Garvin Agee Carlton, P.C.
Candie Hall individual
Rep: Garvin Agee Carlton, P.C.

Defendants

Cimarron Pointe Apartments, LLC business
Cimarron Pointe Limited Partnership business
Case & Associates Properties, Inc. business
Case Equities Corp. business

Claims

#	Cause of Action	Description
1	Breach of Contract and Negligence	Plaintiffs claim that defendants failed to provide a fit and habitable apartment, resulting in a spider infestation and Chad's serious injury.

Petition Text

1,190 words

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF OKLAHOMA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA CHAD ELIJAH and CANDIE HALL, Plaintiffs, v. CIMARRON POINTE APARTMENTS, LLC, an Delaware LLC; CIMARRON POINTE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, an Oklahoma LP; CASE & ASSOCIATES PROPERTIES, INC., an Oklahoma corporation; CASE EQUITIES CORP., an Oklahoma corporation, Defendants. PETITION 1. Defendants own and operate Cimarron Point Apartments in Oklahoma County. 2. Defendant Case Equities Corp. is the general partner of defendant Cimarron Pointe Limited Partnership. 3. On March 25, 2025, plaintiffs entered into a lease of an apartment in the Cimarron Point Apartments Complex. 4. The lease identifies the owner of the complex as “Cimarron Point,” which is a nonexistent person or entity. 5. The defendants owed contractual and common-law duties to provide plaintiffs with an apartment in a fit and habitable condition and to maintain the apartment in good and safe working order and condition. 6. Plaintiffs became aware of a spider infestation in their apartment. 7. Plaintiffs reported the problem numerous times to defendants’ staff. 8. On one of these reporting occasions, plaintiffs delivered a spider that they had captured in a glass jar to the staff in the complex office. 9. The defendants took minimal and insufficient action to address the infestation. 10. The known infestation was a breach of the defendants’ nondelegable duty to provide plaintiffs with an apartment in a fit and habitable condition and to maintain the apartment in good and safe working order and condition. 11. The defendants’ failure to reasonably address the known infestation was a breach of the defendants’ nondelegable duty to provide plaintiffs with an apartment in a fit and habitable condition and to maintain the apartment in good and safe working order and condition. 12. Initially unbeknownst to the plaintiffs, the infestation was of venomous brown recluse spiders. 13. The infestation was not limited to the plaintiffs’ apartment, but was present in other apartments and in common areas as well. 14. On or about June 2, 2025, plaintiff Chad Elija ("Chad") was bitten on the leg by a brown recluse spider while inside his apartment. 15. Before Chad was bitten, the defendants had a reasonable opportunity to remediate the infestation, but failed to do so, despite having knowledge of the infestation. 16. The spider bite caused extreme pain and localized necrosis, which required a skin graft from Chad’s torso. 17. Chad consequently suffered damages, including medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and disfigurement. 18. As a result of the foregoing, plaintiffs were forced (while Chad was still recovering from his skin-graft surgery and while Chad’s leg wound and the skin-graft-donor site on his torso were raw and extremely painful) to move to a new apartment. 19. Before plaintiffs vacated their apartment, they paid all rent, gave proper notice of vacation, cleaned their apartment, restored the interior of the apartment to the same condition as when it was first leased to the plaintiffs (normal wear and tear excepted), and complied with all other terms of the lease. 20. Nevertheless, the defendants refused to return the plaintiffs' security deposit and charged them additional but unjustified cleaning and other fees. 21. The plaintiffs suffered expenses from being required to move to a new apartment. 22. The defendants' actions and inactions amount to reckless disregard for the rights of others. 23. The defendants' actions and inactions were intentional and with malice towards others. 24. Plaintiffs demand judgment for their resulting actual damages in excess of $75,000, and for punitive damages in excess of $75,000, together with interests and costs, including a reasonable attorney fee. GARVIN AGE CARLTON, P.C. By Brett Agee, OBA #12547 [email protected] P.O. Box 10 Pauls Valley, OK 73075-0010 405-238-1000 fax: 405-238-1001 Attorneys for Plaintiffs ATTORNEY LIEN CLAIMED. IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF OKLAHOMA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA CHAD ELIJAH and CANDIE HALL, Plaintiffs, v. CIMARRON POINTE APARTMENTS, LLC, an Delaware LLC; CIMARRON POINTE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, an Oklahoma LP; CASE & ASSOCIATES PROPERTIES, INC., an Oklahoma corporation; CASE EQUITIES CORP., an Oklahoma corporation, Defendants. PETITION 1. Defendants own and operate Cimarron Point Apartments in Oklahoma County. 2. Defendant Case Equities Corp. is the general partner of defendant Cimarron Pointe Limited Partnership. 3. On March 25, 2025, plaintiffs entered into a lease of an apartment in the Cimarron Point Apartments Complex. 4. The lease identifies the owner of the complex as “Cimarron Point,” which is a nonexistent person or entity. 5. The defendants owed contractual and common-law duties to provide plaintiffs with an apartment in a fit and habitable condition and to maintain the apartment in good and safe working order and condition. 6. Plaintiffs became aware of a spider infestation in their apartment. 7. Plaintiffs reported the problem numerous times to defendants’ staff. 8. On one of these reporting occasions, plaintiffs delivered a spider that they had captured in a glass jar to the staff in the complex office. 9. The defendants took minimal and insufficient action to address the infestation. 10. The known infestation was a breach of the defendants’ nondelegable duty to provide plaintiffs with an apartment in a fit and habitable condition and to maintain the apartment in good and safe working order and condition. 11. The defendants’ failure to reasonably address the known infestation was a breach of the defendants’ nondelegable duty to provide plaintiffs with an apartment in a fit and habitable condition and to maintain the apartment in good and safe working order and condition. 12. Initially unbeknownst to the plaintiffs, the infestation was of venomous brown recluse spiders. 13. The infestation was not limited to the plaintiffs’ apartment, but was present in other apartments and in common areas as well. 14. On or about June 2, 2025, plaintiff Chad Elijja (“Chad”) was bitten on the leg by a brown recluse spider while inside his apartment. 15. Before Chad was bitten, the defendants had a reasonable opportunity to remediate the infestation, but failed to do so, despite having knowledge of the infestation. 16. The spider bite caused extreme pain and localized necrosis, which required a skin graft from Chad’s torso. 17. Chad consequently suffered damages, including medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and disfigurement. 18. As a result of the foregoing, plaintiffs were forced (while Chad was still recovering from his skin-graft surgery and while Chad’s leg wound and the skin-graft-donor site on his torso were raw and extremely painful) to move to a new apartment. 19. Before plaintiffs vacated their apartment, they paid all rent, gave proper notice of vacation, cleaned their apartment, restored the interior of the apartment to the same condition as when it was first leased to the plaintiffs (normal wear and tear excepted), and complied with all other terms of the lease. 20. Nevertheless, the defendants refused to return the plaintiffs’ security deposit and charged them additional but unjustified cleaning and other fees. 21. The plaintiffs suffered expenses from being required to move to a new apartment. 22. The defendants’ actions and inactions amount to reckless disregard for the rights of others. 23. The defendants’ actions and inactions were intentional and with malice towards others. 24. Plaintiffs demand judgment for their resulting actual damages in excess of $75,000, and for punitive damages in excess of $75,000, together with interests and costs, including a reasonable attorney fee. GARVIN AGEE CARLTON, P.C. By Brett Agee, OBA #42547 [email protected] P.O. Box 10 Pauls Valley, OK 73075-0010 405-238-1000 fax: 405-238-1001 Attorneys for Plaintiffs ATTORNEY LIEN CLAIMED.