Mold News

Mold, mildew and fungi are a pervasive and essential part of the world's ecological system, and they're becoming a growing concern for those who build, buy, sell and rent homes. Recent floods in Western Washington heightened awareness of potential problems posed by mold.

Ask any home builder or insurance agent and they'll tell you that it's one of the biggest, most costly problems with new homes. A recent Harvard University study of 10,000 homes across the U.S. found half had mold damage. A 1999 Mayo Clinic study cited that mold as the cause for nearly all the chronic sinus infections afflicting 37 million Americans. The insurance industry paid more than $3 billion in mold claims in 2002 and more than $9 billion in 2003.

A block away from New Albany Country Club in a Parade of Homes showplace house, something was wrong.

Andrew and Michelle Hunt came down with asthma. Their two boys were getting sinus infections. Michelle felt burning in her sinuses. And for a year and a half or longer, she lost her voice.

They couldn't see anything but they could smell it - an odor so strong in an upstairs bedroom that Michelle said it brushed her back from the doorway.

Then the dog died.

The county has since reappraised the house the Hunts bought for $690,000: It's worth $200.

Los Angeles, CA -Last week, a California family agreed to a $13 million settlement from a lumber company in mid-trial to complete a $22.6 million settlement with their homes contractors and suppliers over mold exposure. The family sustained severe health complications and it also caused one of their children to sustain severe brain injuries.

Concern about the consequences of mold contamination has become one of today's top subjects. The implications of the emerging mold issue for insurance and the economy are serious.

Adair Homes is ordered to pay $498,418 to a mother and two sons who fell ill after living in a house framed in a wet December

An Oregon family suffers physical and neurological from toxic mold in their newly built house from Beaverton-based Adair Homes Inc.

Despite the attempts of many organizations and companies to stifle evidence contrary to the factual findings, it is becoming exceedingly clear that exposure to toxigenic mold can definitely cause permanent neurological, pathological, immunological and psychological damage.

A Hamilton County judge Wednesday approved a $24 million settlement between an Indianapolis home builder and the owners of more than 2,000 houses potentially affected by moisture and mold.

A few homeowners have complained that the deal doesn't treat them fairly or give enough protection if the mold reappears. Unless a homeowner files an appeal, Pylitt's ruling will begin a procedure of inspections and repairs. Fixing all of the homes that might be found to be damaged could take several years.

GALVESTON, Texas - A unanimous Texas state court jury ended a two-week trial on July 23 by awarding $1,238,000 on property damage claims by 28 residents of subsidized housing. Auzston v. Elder, et al., No. 02CV0305 (Texas 122nd Dist., Galveston City.).

Three weeks after Hilton Hawaiian Village closed its Kalia Tower, another team of specialists has been hired to step up the search for the cause of mold growing in guest rooms.

An executive of CH2M Hill, a multinational engineering, construction and consulting firm based in Colorado, said a team from the company is scheduled to arrive today to start the complex process of identifying and correcting the fungi problem.

The Insurance Information Institute estimates that $3 billion in mold claims were paid out in 2002, the most recent year for which detailed statistics are available. Most states have responded by passing laws allowing insurance companies to exclude mold from coverage, so plaintiff lawyers now target landlords, condominium associations and school districts instead. "I've got seven or eight cases set for trial between now and June," says William Slaughter, a defense lawyer in Ventura, Calif.