Airbnb Wins in New York — For Now

A court decision that threw out the New York attorney general's subpoena of Airbnb may also signal an upcoming major loss for the lodging rental service.

In a filing issued by the state's supreme court, a judge tossed out AG Eric Schneiderman's attempt to force Airbnb to release information about its hosts, but not before stating there was sufficient evidence of illegal activity.

"A general factual predicate for the issuance of the subpoena has been established," the judge wrote in the decision.

The New York attorney general had filed the subpoena seeking records of Airbnb hosts that may have broken housing laws by renting their apartments or not paying taxes from income earned through the rentals. The case kicked off a war of words between the rental company and the state's top lawmaker. Read more...