A political hopeful from Minnesota is suing a past Airbnb roommate, claiming the latter damaged her career by accusing her of hurling a tarantula during a chaotic living arrangement.

Marisa Simonetti, 31, is still under scrutiny for the alleged incident, resembling a prank from Home Alone. Simonetti is now taking legal action against her accuser, alongside the police and prosecutors involved in her misdemeanor assault charge, demanding $28 million in damages.

Simonetti had rented her home in Edina, a suburb of Minneapolis, to attorney Jacklyn Vasquez as an Airbnb guest last year. However, their relationship soured as Vasquez refused to leave and allegedly made threats and involved others in ways that jeopardized Simonetti’s safety, family’s well-being, and budding political career, according to the lawsuit.

According to the suit, Vasquez also bought $350 worth of sex toys at a CVS with Simonetti’s credit card.

“Instead of seeking her own legal protection, Vasquez, a licensed Minnesota attorney, used legal terminology as threats to Simonetti—claiming she would ‘make [Simonetti] look like an abuser,’ ‘flip this whole thing on [her],’ and ‘go to the media’ with stories causing maximum harm unless her demands were met,” the lawsuit claimed.

Consequently, Simonetti urged Airbnb to cancel Vasquez’s reservation and contacted authorities to have her removed. Vasquez allegedly “barricaded” herself in the basement, but police did not force her out. It was during this standoff that the supposed tarantula incident happened, leading to Simonetti’s arrest after Vasquez contacted the police.

At the time, Simonetti was running for Hennepin County Commissioner and aimed to contest in the 2026 U.S. Senate race in Minnesota, as outlined in the lawsuit. However, she lost the commissioner race on two occasions.

“Prior to the false arrest and malicious prosecution, Plaintiff’s campaign was on track to surpass her opponent’s fundraising and win the general election. Public interest, donor enthusiasm, and social media engagement were strong and steadily increasing in the weeks leading up to the June 2024 events,” the lawsuit stated. “As a direct result of Vasquez’s threats, the unlawful arrest, and the prosecution initiated by Hennepin County, Plaintiff’s campaign suffered irreparable harm. Key donors rescinded pledges, community events were canceled or disrupted, and Plaintiff was denied valuable earned media and speaking opportunities due to the pending charges.”

The plaintiff claims in the lawsuit, which she filed herself, that her Senate campaign fundraising targets could “easily exceed $22 million.” Simonetti is not considered among the top contenders who have announced their intention to run or are thought to have an interest.

Simonetti claims the Edina cops violated her First Amendment rights by “interfering with her political speech” and lacked probable cause to arrest her. She also says the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office violated her due process rights by pursuing criminal charges “based on demonstrably false information.”

As Law&Crime previously reported, Simonetti’s wide-ranging comments to Fox affiliate KMSP and NBC affiliate KARE on what allegedly took place last year only added another layer of strangeness.

Asked what led to the tarantula incident, Simonetti said that Vasquez “started sending double, triple texting me long paragraphs and making all kinds of accusations saying there was an infestation — a spider infestation — and then she said the internet didn’t work.”

“It was just a bombardment. She was sending me paragraphs-long messages and finally I had to block her because I felt so uncomfortable,” Simonetti said, explaining that her son lives in the home and that this fact makes her highly sensitive to disputes like these.

Claiming that Vasquez was screaming on the phone with someone, threatening to have her arrested, and threatening to ruin her campaign, Simonetti suggested that she tried a tactic from “Home Alone,” her favorite movie from her childhood, to get Vasquez out of the house.

“I mean, there is an element of humor to that movie, and at the end, what was I supposed to do?” she asked KMSP. “And at the end of the day, unhinged got her out of the house.”

Simonetti, who reportedly did not own the home, did not answer whether she was allowed to sublet a room to Vasquez, calling those rules “all pretty hazy,” but she chalked up the whole blow-up as “funny” and “ridiculous.”

“I’m good at creatively solving problems, and at the end of the day, I didn’t physically harm anybody. I’m a little unconventional in my ways—sometimes. I mean, I’m a silly goose,” she told KMSP.

Vasquez did not immediately return Law&Crime’s request for comment.