What happened, Rachel? I was under the impression that you were avidly reading this blog, educating yourself on important mold issues that could save homeowners like you their health and their property. But, now I can see that you have not been following The Future of Mold; because if you had been, Rachel Ray, you would not have made one of the most common and classic mold blunders – one that I write about nearly every day.
TV chef and television talk show host Rachel Ray has filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court against two home inspection companies. Backed by her lawyer-husband, John Cusimano, the couple is hopping mad that Amerispect Heritage Home Inspection Service and Joseph Schmitt Consulting Engineers did not inform them about the existing mold and water damage before they bought their $3 million villa in 2007. The five-bedroom, five-bathroom home is on Long Island, near the ritzy town of Southampton.
The host of “The Rachel Ray Show” and “30-Minute Meals” is suing for $3 million, the price of the home, because those lazy home inspectors missed deadly mold growing in certain areas of the home.
Of course, we know that trying to sue a home inspector for not warning you about mold is like suing your dentist for not warning you about a skin growth – it’s not a part of their job. Every day, celebrities and ordinary folk alike make the incorrect assumption that home inspectors will warn them about mold. They won’t because it is outside their field. Whether these particular home inspectors missed the mold or simply chose not to inform Rachel is irrelevant. These kinds of lawsuits almost immediately get thrown out of court. But, then again, Rachel Ray has a lawyer husband and a lot of money, so maybe this will have a different outcome.
Fans of Rachel may have noticed that she is often sick with a cold on-camera. She is known to have respiratory problems that the mold either caused or at least exacerbated. It’s not a helpful condition when you have to be on camera every day speaking to an audience of millions. Since discovering the mold, she has moved into her apartment in New York City.
Ray and Cusimano would like to sell the home, but obviously it has been greatly devalued because of the mold. But if this legal battle plays out, the couple needs to discover the source of the water leak and hire a reputable mold remediation company or qualified mold removal specialist.
Before you find yourself in a situation like Rachel’s, you should hire a mold inspector – not a home inspector – to find hidden mold in a home. Guardian Preservation has some tips on how to find reputable mold inspectors and qualified mold remediation specialists.
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A home inspector’s role is to help home buyers avoid purchasing a money pit. If someone living in a home (like Rachel) has health concerns than hiring a home inspector is not the way to go unless the inspection is a certified mold inspector as well. Did Rachel not understand this or was this simply a strategy to recoup the money that they invested in their home? Having an attorney for a husband may help to answer that question.
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