California Jury Awards $254,500 Against Great Wolf Lodge in Bed Bug Exposure Case

A California jury awarded $254,500 in damages against Great Wolf Lodge in a bed bug exposure case involving a family at the company’s Manteca, California, property, with the total payment reaching approximately $284,500 after court costs.

A California jury awarded $254,500 in damages to a family exposed to bed bugs at the Great Wolf Lodge property in Manteca, California. With approximately $30,000 in court costs, the total payment reached about $284,500 after post-trial proceedings. The judgment has been paid in full.

The case was presented to a jury and went to trial, which is rare for bed bug exposure cases involving hotel guests. Most such cases are resolved confidentially before reaching trial. The trial was handled by Brian Virag of MyBedBugLawyer, Inc., a California-based practice focused on hotel bed bug litigation.

The family involved has chosen to speak publicly about their experience, describing the physical, emotional, and financial effects of the exposure, as well as the challenges of participating in a jury trial. The family reported being repeatedly told that bed bug cases typically do not go to trial.

The verdict against Great Wolf Lodge follows other recent jury awards obtained by Virag, including a $2 million verdict earlier in 2025 and a separate California jury award of nearly $500,000 in December 2025. These cases involved hotel guest injuries that were tried to verdict rather than settled confidentially.

Jury trials involving bed bug exposure remain rare due to the complexity of the evidence, the costs, and the risks, which often lead to early settlements rather than trials.

The verdict in the Great Wolf Lodge case is final, and payment has been made.