Our recent awareness of the dangers of toxic mold growth is due in part to a number of high profile litigation cases in the late 90s and early 2000s. Multi-million dollar lawsuits and celebrity mold cases have put mold in the media spotlight, which has increased public awareness and education. Here are some of the celebrity mold cases you may have heard about:
Erin Brockovich: The working mother who famously traced illnesses to contaminated groundwater and won a small California town millions now has a new enemy – toxic mold. Stachybotrys has caused part of her million-dollar home to be sealed off and has its inhabitants donning hazmat suits. Nevertheless, Brockovich refuses to evacuate her dream house and is steadily combating the mold. Brockovich claims that the mold outbreak was caused by faulty building structure and is suing the builder for $600,000.
Ed McMahon: Toxic mold disabled the Tonight Show sidekick and is blamed for the death of his dog, Muffin. McMahon claims that after a pipe broke and flooded his den, contractors botched the repairs by simply painting over the mold because it was too costly to remediate. As the mold growth continued to spread, his insurance company gradually backed away from covering remediation expenses. McMahon is suing American Equity Insurance Co. for $20 million.
Lou Ferrigno: The former wrestler who played “The Hulk” was powerless against the incredible mold growth throughout his home’s bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, living room, and dining room. The mold started from a severe water link that his insurance carrier failed to properly inspect and repair. The Hulk is suing Mercury Insurance Company for $265,718.78 in damages and reimbursement.
Michael Jordan: The six-time NBA championship winning Chicago Bull, filed a lawsuit in 2004 against Sto Corp. and several other home improvement companies for $2.6 million in damages due to mold and rot. The home insulation company provided the Jordans with an “exterior insulation finish system” called synthetic stucco that was supposed to eliminate the threat of water penetration in he home. The suit alleges that the synthetic stucco became physically damaged, saturated with water, and covered with mold growth.
Bianca Jagger: The ex-wife of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger has vacated her $4,600-a-month apartment due to toxic mold growth and filed a $20 million lawsuit against her landlord. She claims the building’s super simply scraped off the mold and painted over it several times, but never addressed the source. By not fixing the water leak, the mold continued to build up in unseen places until toxic mold symptoms forced Bianca out of her home.
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