FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (KXAN) — A long-lived court battle over a spider bite finally came to an end last month — after the Texas Supreme Court decided in favor of the property owner being sued.

The web of litigation began in December 2014, when Henry McCall, a caretaker on Homer Hillis’ Airbnb property in Fredericksburg, was bitten by a brown recluse spider.

BACKGROUND: Brown recluse spider bite case heads to Texas Supreme Court

The bite caused immediate bruising and swelling and an infection spread from the arm to McCall’s heart. McCall, 65-years-old at the time, spent 75 days in the hospital, underwent six operations and spent nearly $600,000 on medical expenses.

Henry McCall underwent six operations and spent 75 days in the hospital after a brown recluse spider bit his harm. (Courtesy: Henry McCall)

McCall filed a lawsuit, claiming that Hillis was liable for his injuries and suffering because he didn’t warn him of the possible danger at the property.

While the trial court originally sided with Hillis, but McCaul appealed and the San Antonio Court of Appeals overturned the ruling — saying that Hillis knew or should have known that there was risk of spider bites on the property.

Hillis appealed this ruling and the case ultimately landed at the Texas Supreme Court, where they heard the case on January 9. Hillis argued being held liable would overturn a legal doctrine, ferae naturae, which does not require landowners to inform guests of property conditions, like the presence of poisonous spiders.

This legal precedent of ferae naturae is based on the conclusion that indigenous species, like the brown recluse, are native to the land where the property lies. However, there is no legal precedent from an indigenous animal attacking or biting a person indoors.

According to the Supreme Court’s ruling:

“Although Hillis knew that brown recluses are indigenous to Texas, the record does not show he had identified or should have identified that the spiders McCall previously reported seeing inside the house presented a danger. Indeed, McCall testified in his deposition that the spiders he had seen in the B&B and reported to Hillis before McCall was bitten were the same type spiders he had seen in his previous home in Fredericksburg, and nothing in the record indicates that he was referring to brown recluses or to any other type of venomous spider.”

The court found that Hillis and McCaul had the same basic knowledge of the spider situation in the Airbnb — they were aware that the spiders were present, but neither had knowledge that they were brown recluses.

The ruling:

“According to McCall, Hillis should have warned him that the spiders McCall himself had seen could have been venomous. But common knowledge is that some spiders are venomous and others harmless. The Court concludes it will not impose a duty on a landowner to warn an invitee about something he already knows.”