It sounds like something people would joke about: “10 million for a little mold? I should take my landlord to court and make millions!” But the details here reveal a far more grim picture that no amount of money could make up for.
Ebony Gage was once a typical 12-year old girl. But after her property owner refused to use a mold removal service to remove mold in her Section 8 home, her conditioned worsened. It started with asthma, but gradually got worse. Four years later, Ebony is 16 years old and confined to a hospital bed. She suffers from permanent brain damage and can no longer speak or walk, requiring 24-hour care – possibly for the rest of her life.
Although the Philadelphia Housing Authority settled just before opening statements in court, I wonder what defense they would have gone with. Either the damage was caused by something else, or blame the mold on somebody else. After seeing the footage of Ebony strapped to a hospital bed with machines helping her breathe, I’m not surprised they settled so quickly once it went to court – although there were years of prior legal wrangling.
The Philadelphia Housing Authority is taking the brunt of the blame here since their housing inspectors were not trained as mold removers or even to identify or recognize mold problems in Section 8 homes. And yet, PHA applied for and received a million dollar grant to train inspectors do to train them as mold removal specialists.
Even so, the PHA admits no wrong doing and is diverting blame to the property owner who has a history of not repairing water leaks and not using mold removal contractors. The property landlord and management company agreed to pay at least $2 million of the settlement.
Ebony Gage and her mother tried to escape the building earlier, but the Philadelphia Housing Authority made them give 30 days notice before they could move out. Ebony’s medical bills already exceed several million dollars, so the settlement will go to paying that money back and paying for her ongoing medical treatments as a result of toxic mold exposure.
Ebony joins the ranks of many others who have had permanent damage as a result of failed remediation of mold. Yet, despite these examples, there is still a large public consensus that does not believe mold can do anything more than irritate allergies. For this reason, building owners will not even seek a mold removal estimate.
For a full list of possible health effects that result from mold exposure, check out mold removal company Guardian Preservation’s page on mold health.There is a thorough description of how mold can harm the body and who is most susceptible.
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