NEW! Do you have a mold story to share? Perhaps you are in the middle of a major mold crisis and you could use some help or advice. Or, perhaps you've fought mold and won (or you're still fighting!) and have a story to share. We want to hear from you! Share your story today.
Do you have a serious mold problem in your home or office building? Would you like some professional help? If so, request a remediation consultation.
Examples of Mold Lawsuits
Lawsuits Won Against Mold
Here are some examples of lawsuits resulting in high-dollar awards to those who suffered because of toxic mold:
- A Group in California
A group in California was awarded $1.3 million for claims against contractors that performed work so poorly it caused leaks and allowed mold to enter their homes.
- Two Women in Delaware
Two women in Delaware were awarded $1.04 million because their landlord failed to fix leaks which led to mold in the residence, as well as claimed health issues as a result.
- A Homeowner in California V Allstate
A homeowner in California was awarded $18 million against Allstate Insurance because of their refusal to approve claims for mold damage. The judge lowered the jury’s award down to $3 million.
Further Recommended Reading :
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team
Like this post? Pass it along!
I live in an apartment in NH. Every year during the spring rains the floor soaks. The rugs molds and smells putrid. Last year the Housing Authority was doing their annual inspection of the apartment, and I was sure it would fail…but they PASSED it. How could this agency pass an apartment for human living that was 75% soaked in water. This is EVERY year that this place soaks in like this. The foundation is cracked and the landlord has not made any attempts to fix it.
In addition there is black mold on the bathroom ceiling, also behind my bed because it it near a window where the water floods in. What can I do…I want out of here, but there is no rental vouchers so I can have rental assistance. My husband has a bad heart and this cant be good for him. Help !!
Peggy on February 7th, 2008Dear Peggy,
I’ve responded to your question via email. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to let me know =)
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team
Joslyn on February 7th, 2008I have a question…
Anthony Horton on December 30th, 2008My elderly mother is living in a rent subsidized, hud approved home. She has had a mold problem that recently surfaced, and along with it Toxic Mold Poisoning, diagnosed by doctors at an emergency health care facility. It has damaged her breathing and she lost her voice, throat closure and other items. 3 months later, (I had recently moved her out temporarily) nothing has been done except wiping down with bleach. I refuse to let her go back, but can we recover damages from both hud and the landlords? This is a really disturbing issue for me, as she is disabled and nearly 80 years old. This whole situation stemmed from a water heater that exploded and soaked her carpet 6 months ago.
I am trying to find out who and where I contact regarding BLACK MOLD exposure in my residence and whether we would have a legal case against the landlord if it is indeed determined that this could be contributing to our families health problems. We just moved out of the home we have been renting for 19 months and found large areas of BLACK MOLD in our bedroom. We had been telling the landlord for months about the ceiling leaking in numerous places. As well as a RAT infestation that has never been dealt with. In the last two days we have moved out of the home, but to date the landlord has not been informed we have departed. So my thoughts are, if the mold needs to be tested in any way it needs to be done before April 2nd when they will become aware that we have moved.
In the past six months my family has had many health issues that could possibly be contributed to this situation. My fiancé especially has been hospitalized and been through tons of test, is seeing a neurologist and to date has not been able to be diagnosed. His symptoms somewhat resemble Multiple Sclerosis but not for a definite diagnosis. Some are as follows:
Severe headaches, daily
White matter lesions on brain sheath
TIA’s speech difficulties
Sinusitis
Short term memory loss, sometimes severe
Confusion
Since leaving the residence three days ago, he has not had one headache. I also have three children who have also complained of allergy related conditions that they never had before. My six year old gets chronic nose bleeds for no apparent reason. On top of that I have an 18 month old who has had many instances of ear infections and flu like symptoms often. I myself have had migraines for years but they have in the last six months worsened to the point I needed to have my medication dosage increased. I ask that someone contact us to let us know how to proceed. I thank you in advance for your time and understanding of our situation.
kimberly cogswell on March 25th, 2009My husband and I recently bought a house last month and found out thru our neighbors that the house is known for mold and has been an issue since 2002. We are waiting for the air testing to come back but my 2 yr and 10 mth old and I are staying at my parents until we get the reslts. My husband and I do not know what to do… Our agent is telling us that he would put the house for sale and get us into another home and he would pay for all the expenses plus the down payment and any other fees we put into this house. I know how seriuos mold can be and I certainly do not want to live in a house with mold… Any suggestions????
Melissa on July 14th, 2009I have filed suit againdt the contractor that improperly installed a sewer lateral to my home. There were several sewage backups in my home home subseqeunt to the installation over two years ago. A mold problem has occurred as a direct result and the contractor was not sufficiently insured. Six of my minor children have been experiencing excerbations of their asthma & allergy problems related to the exposure. I need an attorney who practices in Delaware and I’m having great difficulty locating one. Please help me and my children. Can you identify who the two ladies in DE were who were successful in suing their landlord or perhaps give me the name of the attorney who represented them?
Donyale London on August 13th, 2009I work in a building that over the years (5) has repeated flooding after heavy rains. The rugs get soaked and have stains from the soaking. The fiberglass insulation shows black stains I assume are mold. I experience headaches, sore throats and other symptoms. My employer who owns the bulding has done nothing to solve the problem. (Hasn’t even cleaned the rugs.) There are three of us in the bulding and I seemed to have the worst reaction. We all want to keep our jobs so we haven’t complain too much.
But my symptoms are getting worse any ideas as to the direction I should go?
Fred on October 31st, 2009Kimberly we seem to have the same problem. What was done to resolve your issues? Any help you could offer me would be great! I am lost with this!
Melissa on November 3rd, 2009Thank you,
Melissa
We have a new construction that has mold and daughter, 2 yr old grandson, and pets all experiencing health symptoms of mold sickness. Did allergy testing and showed allergic to EVERYTHING now it seems including 8 kinds of mold. How do doctors prove it is caused by mold and what kind of doctor needs to confirm it is caused by mold. We are suing builder and bank for this reason and many other construction defects and do not know what type of doctor to go to.
vickie yencha on February 4th, 2010I have been renting an apartment for 14 years dealing with mold and seem to be sick all the time. My landlord just comes and paints over it. They seem not to care at all about the cough and sick. What can I do
Wanda on June 6th, 2010I was in the ER last night for 6 hours having chest pains thinking I was having a heart attack at 25 years old. I was having finals at school and thought it was anxiety until they did a CT scan and revealed it was costochondritis my chest wall was inflammed he said from maybe over erretion which i though was rediculus then i looked up that mold can cause this. We have had problem after problem with our rental house and our landlord wont answer his phone with the heating and air conditioner now there is mold covering the attic, ceiling and around the air vents we were going to just pack our things and leave this weekend.So i was going to ask what can I do he wont answer and for 2 months in a row when weve wentto pay rent he hasnt been there and we had to give it to him throught the mail im in pain still i have bruises from 3 IV sites from last night and a hefty ER bill!
Lila on July 30th, 2010I have lived in an apartment in Provo, Utah, since January 2009 until now. Luckily I’m moving in a few weeks, but in the past year and a half living here, I’ve had mono twice and have gotten very sick and doctors can’t seem to figure it out. I went to an ND who did a BioMeridian test which said I have mold poisoning. I’ve mentioned it to our irresponsible manager and he said there was nothing he can do. My roommates don’t seem to have been very sick. However, my mom came to stay with me and woke up deathly ill and we had to get her a hotel room for the rest of her stay. She is furious with them and wants me to be reimbursed for all my doctors bills and past rent. What can I do? Who should I talk to? Could I actually win a case like this especially since I’m moving out so soon?
Bet on August 14th, 2010There are big black spots that continue to reappear in our shower tile even after cleaning it thoroughly. There is also a very foul odor coming from our kitchen sink which does not go away upon cleaning. I feel much better after being away from my apartment, even for a few hours.
We currently live in military housing. I have called numerous times about the mold growing in our walls, and seeping through the light fixtures. Nothing has been done about the issue. My husband is having respritory infections and bronchitis, which he has not had in the past. If no action is taken from the housing, and the doctor states his condition could be from the mold, is this a liable lawsuit, or does it work differently with military housing?
Deborah on August 18th, 2010I recently just moved out on my own into a nice house,2 months later i find out there is a full room right underneath my master bed room that is full of mold thats been there for a while,now im sitting in my room and it looks like they painted over mold on the walls,i do feel like my breathing changed but i dont no what to do,rent due on wedsday,please help me
torrey on October 3rd, 2010Hi,
I would like to share the story of my husband Jeff. He died June 18th 2009 from a fungus/mold called C.Bantiana. You can google it and see how dangerous it is. The story is complicated and long but the moral is wear protection if you are cleaning up mold, and if you think you have a mold problem pay the money to get a air sample. My goal in life now it to bea an advocate to the dangers of mold!!! He had it in his brain and it is a silent killer.
Please be serious about any mold.
Kathy
Kathy Johnson on November 18th, 2010In September of 2006 my three children and I were going to move into a home that was severely damaged by mold. At first we had no clue about the mold damage, we only knew that the house had an aweful musty smell and it was explained that the house had been closed up for two years. The landlord and I agreed that if I did the cleaning and a few small repairs he would give me three free months of rent. The repairs included painting, laying carpet, tile, sweeping, mopping, etc. My middle daughters asthma acted up every time she entered the house so the first week she stayed in the yard while I cleaned and painted. While finishing the paint in the kitchen, I moved the refrigerator and under the fridge I found a large black spot on the floor (roughly the size of a 15″ car tire. I brought this up to the landlord, who in turn told me to just clean the mold with bleach water and that it was no big deal. I removed the linoleum where the mold was and realized the more linoleum I pulled up, the more mold covered the flooring. Again I brought this up to the landlord who assured me by using 2/3 cups of bleach to a gallon of water would kill the mold and it was no big deal. I continued pulling up the linoleum and cleaning the mold with a scrub brush and pure bleach instead of water and bleach. I had no knowledge concerning mold, was never told to wear a mask or anything. As I got closer to the dining area, I removed a piece of linoleum and a dust cloud blew into my face. I immediately got dizzy and turned so pale I looked like death had knocked on my door. I did make it outside for fresh air and as I walked onto the porch my oldest 2 daughters and the friend they had at the house came running to my side to see if I was ok. We ended up leaving the house because I did not feel good and the next morning when I awoke I was running a fever, my eyes were so black it looked like someone puinched in my eyes, my nose was clooged up so bad I could hardly breath, my body ached all over, I was white as a ghost….. I was deathly ill. A few more days went by and my sickness kept getting worse so I went to the ER. Over the course of a month I went to the ER at least 10 times about my sickness, finally they decided to test me for a fungal infection. During this month of ER visits I also went to see my physician and other doctors he referred me to. A lung doctor decided to also give me a fungal test…. 4 to 5 weeks later the results came in and I was positive for Rhizopus mold, Aspergillus niger and some other mold but I can’t remember the name of it. I was put on an antifungal meducation but the prescription was messed up and instead of getting the 21 day prescription, I was only given 7 days. On December 12th of 2006 I was hospitalized and had an IV of amphitocerin B (or something like that, I can’t remember how its spelled but its a very potent antifungal). I hired an attorney because after spending months cleaning, painting, laying carpet, etc and being so sick I could barely move the landlord decided unless I found someone to take my place and move into the home he wasn’t giving me back my 500.00 deposit. Long story short it is now November of 2010 and we are no closer to closing my case than we were when I went to the attorney in 2006. My attorney does not want to go to court because he doesn’t feel like I have a good enough case to win and the guy that was going to be my landlord is fighting my lawsuit left and right. Doctors in Georgia do not have much knowledge on mold cases so when I was going through my sickness it took me forever to find a doctor with any experience. I had to get nasal surgery to remove the mold in my sinuses and thank God I had a healthy immune system or the mold would’ve killed me. Since my illness I still have severe sinusitis attacks, I now suffer allergies (which I never had until the mold), my memory is still very bad, my right side shakes uncontrollably at times (my left side does too but it happens to my right side more), I have severe muscle aches, severe anxiety…. I feel like my health is deteriorating but none of the doctors I see can tell me why. How would I find out if the health problems I suffer from today are a result from my mold infection? Is it even possible for someone to have lifelong health problems after having a fungal infection? I don’t know who to turn to or where I can go for help and when you tell doctors out here that you’ve had a fungal infection in the past they just look at you like you’re stupid.
Julie on November 26th, 2010I rent a house and have told my landlord several times about the ceiling leaking. Me and my son have been sick for a couple of weeks now. My landlord still hasn’t came and fixed the ceiling. I have not paid the rent due to him fixing the problem. Should I pay the rent or make him wait until the problem is fixed?
Angela on January 20th, 2011Angela, simply withholding rent will get you evicted. Go to the Clerk of the Court and tell them you want to place your rent in Escrow. The judge may even award all or part of the money to YOU.
Angie on January 27th, 2011I rent a house and we have green and black mold growing on the walls and on our furniture and it smell bad we cant get rid of it.plus the windows licks and so does the roof and the landlord wont fix it.the claim that they dont have to money tp fix it and we have kids living in the house and we are affaid of them getting very sick .and we cant afford to move.what should we do?
Ashley on February 16th, 2011I am worried sick. My granddaughter and family she has a 5 year old a 2 1/2 year old and is 8 1/2 months pregnant and their house is full of mold and they have told their landlord about it and he has done nothing. He wants them out so he can update and rent at a higher price. I am so scared for them. They seem to be sick all the time and thick its just the flue or whatever. They are scared to call the insector because they can’t afford to move elsewhere. She is the only breadwinner in the family and is now home on maternity leave.
Joan on February 17th, 2011I am trying to find out all the information I can in regards of suing due to mold. Any help is much appreciated.
I live in El Monte, CA and me & my husband rent a studio apt. There is no fan or vents in our restroom rather than the window which we leave open while we shower until all the steam has released it still does no help. Their is mold everywhere… All on the ceilings the walls the edges on the floor… it entered our kitchen and the window ceil in the living room since it is only a studio it is very small & the mold has just grown everywhere. I asked my landlord to fix it and he has yet too. That was December.. still till this day, we cleaned & it keeps coming back. I missed alot of days of work for Jan & Feb due to being sick… passing out, fatigue, migraines.. I went to the hospital the diagnosed me with Asthma, something that doesn’t run in my family, I never had it no symptoms, and I have no allergies. The doctor states it can be from mold since I have had this issue for 5 months now. We’ve only been living there for 6 months… I want to sue in regards to mold, and the landlord not fixing it when I asked him. I am sending another letter today… Please let me know of anything that may help my case. I do not want to be living here anymore and plan on suing the landlord and getting a new place as soon as possible. Thanks.
Moray Chang on February 21st, 2011I have been suffering from mold poisoning for about nine months now. I remember telling my landlord last spring about mold and it was affecting my twenty year old sons’ health. Shortly after I became sick had nausea, fatigue, stomach pain, diarrhea, and every time before I was going to get sick my left nostril would run. My doctor did every blood test imaginable. I went for an upper endoscopy and the first time the doctor could not do it because my esophagus was irritated and he took a picture of what he thought was a yeast infection on my esophagus. He did a culture that was negative. My next appointment he stretched my esophagus he said it was scarred (I do have acid reflux). I got severely ill after that with fevers all the time, I lost a lot of weight and went from 120 to 99.8 lbs. I was admitted to the hospital the first time and had all kinds of tests all were negative. Less than a week later I ended up back in the hospital and had exploratory surgery and they removed my gall bladder and appendix. I realize now that the white stuff on my esophagus was aspergillus toxic mold. It was then pushed into my stomach and went through my system. I could not eat, the only thing that did not upset my stomach was ice cream. I am still living here and sleeping down stairs while trying to find an apartment. I have developed asthma and rhinitis. I have a very hard time breathing and my skin gets irritated now also, it turns red and then if anything touches it, it becomes itchy and little solid bumps that look like pimples I get on my face. It is mostly my face and scalp that itch. This is so dangerous more dangerous than I would have thought. My landlord could care less, she is covering it up instead of removing it. The plaster behind the paneling upstairs is falling. The wood above our ceilings is rotted and black in the crawl space where it has been leaking. Make sure everyone knows about this. Doctors need to know how to test for this and if all tests come back fine test for a fungus. I also got C-Diff on top of all that either because of the anti-biotic I received or the mold going through my system. God Bless all affected by this type of illness
Jeanette on March 19th, 2011We have black mold around our windows, and a huge spot on the ceiling corner in our bathroom!! We have addressed this issue with our apartment manager as well as the new manager since the summer of last year!! Nothing has been done!! My son has asthma and I am sure we are all being affected by it since oue entire family has had numerous upper respiratory problems! Please help!
Sherry Simmons on March 31st, 2011We have mold issues as well in our apartment. We filed a discrimmination application due to disabilities (allergies to mold) with Fair Housing and they are taking the case. Hopefully when the owners of this apartment complex gets hit below the belt monetarily, they will listen to the next tenant with issues of mold.
Mikal on April 29th, 2011Jeanette; get out quick and call a mold lawyer – soon the mold will cover you clothes and skin this will burn your skin off = you can die. this is how babies, children, and adults die. get out. throw your clothes away – soak in bath for hour. get a lawyer now.
VICTOIOUS on May 29th, 2011My roommates and I have been living in a house in the middle of a redwood forest for about five months now. We ran dehumidifiers, per landlords request, because she said there was a “slight mold problem” that could be cleared up after 6 weeks of running the machines. However, the house is still rampant with mold. I have bleached and scrubbed everywhere at least once a week and it still grows back strong as ever. It’s growing on my shoes, my windows, my entire bathroom, outside of the house, everywhere in the garage, in the kitchen…basically everywhere in the house because the air in the forest is so damp. We have used dehumidifiers that are like bags that we hang and they suck up the moisture, but even then, they are full in a day or two and we cannot afford to spend all our money on mold preventatives. Also, the house’s foundation and wood features are cracked and easily break. we asked our landlord if the mold has ever been a significant problem and they said absolutely not, yet I’ve heard from people in the neighborhood that the former residents had gotten sick and were forced to move out. The landlord denied this claim. Now, my roommate, boyfriend, and myself have gotten very sick and haven’t gotten any better no matter what we do. We went out of town for a weekend and both my boyfriend and I got healthier. we are at our wits end and worried about our health. what can we do????
Liz Franklin on June 3rd, 2011I myself and my wife, daughters and grandson have all been effected by mold in a house we were renting. All the same sysmtoms including non-stop coughing and headaches and now asthma. I am suing, the only thing I fear is that most judges are landlords. Need I say more. The opposing lawyer represents a majot insurance company (pum parum pum pum pum pum) Which has 1000′s & 1000′s of lawsuits against them, even by their own clients for breach of contract, non-payment of claims, and yes many mold issues that they have lost. One would think that any insurance company would make an effort to go and check out a house that they are going to insure. Check for plumbing, electrical, septic tanks if applicable, roof, foundation and even permits with the county – checking accesors inquiry making sure that all their ducks are in order. But they dont care, they just want the money (pum parum pum pum pum pum) Because if they ever get a suit against them, they have the big dogs to release the legal mumbo jumbo to combat the language of the court. Even defense attorney’s look for an easy payday because they too don’t care about your health or anyones else’s. They fear matching wits with those big dogs. A judge in Tulare County in 2003 filed a lawsuit against the county for mold in the court room for over a million and settled for way less because she was only sick temporarily. It does have to be toxic mold if your immune system is suppressed or you are considered a autoimmune desease person like with diabetis, aids, cancer, thyroid (see definition for autoimmune desease) any lump sum of mold can break you down an effect your health, some temporary and some serious. See AIHA website – CDC (center for dease control) and see what they say about mold.
Herman J Lopez on June 7th, 2011Im sorry second to the last sentence ( It doesn’t have to be toxic mold)
Herman J Lopez on June 7th, 2011I do not know where you live but some states do have a number for what amount of mold is dangerous to a human being. In MA where I live it is harder because they do not have any guidelines for mold. If renting I would contact a lawyer and the health dept., if you own you would have to contact your home owners insurance or maybe even your state may have grants to take on tasks of this sort. i hope I could be of some help. Good luck
Jeanette Gagnon on June 14th, 2011My mother and I have had a house fire and have been moved into an apartment on the third floor. she is over 55 and we have three dogs, two are hers and one is mine. We have been here two months and I have recently started having chest pains. I just notice the other day that there is black mold in the apartment. what should I do if they don’t move me out the apartment???
Josh on July 26th, 2011I have been living in the apartment complex for almpst two years. I was recently diagnosed with ms. My bathroom shower is filled with black mold. I reported it months ago but nothing was done. Now it is extremely bad. AFter I shower, I get really dizzy and lightheaded. I don’t know what to do at this point. i hope this can be of some help.
Lashawn on July 26th, 2011Lashawn,
If I were you I would contact the board of health where you are. Show them the mold and they will force your landlord to fix it immediately. Black mold is the most dangerous of all the toxic molds. Before your health becomes worse, contact them. I know in MA your landlord cannot give you an eviction notice for six months after you contact them providing you do not have any back rent. I would contact a lawyer also after the health inspector comes and writes up your landlord. You may not have to pay any rent until this issue is properly taken care of. You may be able to save enough money to move into another, healthier place to live. I hope all works out for you. If you get too bad, I would get out of that apartment and stay with friends until it is taken care of. Best of luck
Jeanette on July 27th, 2011After several water problems were supposedly fixed, I discovered mold in my apartment. The landlord ordered a mold test (thinking my claims were an attempt to break the lease).. they came back with 8 kinds of very toxic air-born molds. After repeatedly asking for the results they finally gave me a one page letter from the testers.. saying that there was mold. I asked about getting the full report and they refused.. so I contacted a lawyer and was able to get the report which clearly indicated there was a problem so bad that I shouldn’t be in the apartment. I contacted my neighbors on my floor who had also had water leaking from the roof– I put a copy of the recommendation from the mold expert halfway under the door.. after my landlord’s agent visit with 4 contractors I noticed that the letters to my neighbors wasn’t where I put them, so I contronted her and she admitted taking them.. so I called the police. How horrible is that?
Richard on August 7th, 2011I just found out today that the house I have lived in for 8 years as been basically full of blackmold the entire time. When I talked to my landlord they admitted that they were aware of the problem from before I moved in and just never decided to mention it. i had noticed it in the bathroom but it is common to have in bathrooms. Periodically we would get it in random places through out the house but i thought it was just normal. come to find out that it has been behind the walls and in the outside of our house the entire time! Since i have lived here I have a had a considerable decline in my mental capacity and my health has been horrible the last fews years. I get strange rashes all the time i have had a pain in my abdominal area for a couple years that wont go away and doctors cant figure out what it is. My youngest child that has lived here since birth has quite a few health problems including asthma, eczema, and difficulty concentrating. In fact my entire family of 4 has difficulty with memory or staying focused when we were not at all like this before living here. I really dont know what legal action to take and do not know if i can in the state of iowa but i fill like we have been poisoned by something that was known about and not disclosed. if anyone knows what to do please make any suggestion.
Jeff on September 1st, 2011