- Theoharis Lekas, 52, is suing Trump International Beach Resort for negligence after burning his foot on ‘searing’ hot pool deck and beach sand
- Lekas claims his diabetic neuropathy prevented him feeling the severe burns and the resort should have installed signs warning of the risk
- He claims he suffered third-degree burns on his August 2022 vacation, which led to doctors amputating his foot
A New Jersey man is suing the Trump International Beach Resort in Florida after losing a toe and part of his foot to third-degree burns caused by ‘searing’ hot pool deck and beach sand.
Theoharis Lekas, 52, from New Jersey, filed a lawsuit Friday with the New York Supreme Court claiming the resort was negligent for not posting signs recommending footwear.
He claimed the surfaces within the resort were ‘scorching hot’ during his August 2022 vacation, causing ‘devastating’ third-degree burns to both his feet.
Lekas said he could not feel his feet burning while walking on the blistering pool deck as he suffers diabetic neuropathy, which ’caused him to lose feeling in his feet’.
Lekas is suing the Sunny Isles resort for an undecided amount, claiming his weekend visit ‘irrevocably and seriously impaired’ his life.
Bill Matsikoudis, whose firm is representing Lekas, told DailyMail.com the sum of damages sought would likely be ‘north of $1 million’.
The resort is not directly owned by former president Donald Trump, but instead falls under the umbrella of The Trump Organization, of which he is the founder and majority owner.
However, the lawsuit claims the resort ‘touts its collaboration’ with the real estate mogul.
Lekas alleged that he suffered severe, life-changing burns because the resort was ‘negligent’ and ‘failed to post signs or any other warnings’ about the sweltering surfaces.
He also accused Trump International of failing to mitigate the temperatures by laying down mats or hosing down the floors with water.
After strolling across the resort during his weekend stay, Lekas said he only realized his feet were peeling on the final day of his trip when pulling on socks.
Upon returning home, the lawsuit stated that his condition deteriorated to the point he had to quickly bandage up his badly burnt feet and rush to hospital.
While his left foot healed, the severe burns led his right foot to develop a ‘bullet-hole-shaped ulcer’, which ‘grew wider and deeper, until it reached the bone’.
Lekas claimed his foot then swelled to the size of a football, while one of his toes also turned black and became gangrenous.
The ordeal resulted in doctors amputating the foot at the end of a second, 16-day stint in hospital.
The lawsuit added that the wound remains unhealed, posing a significant threat to his health and that he has ‘been told to expect further surgeries’.
Lekas argued the resort owed him a duty of care to prevent ‘even unusual hazards’.
