A California jury recently awarded $2.7 million to a family whose apartment was infested with toxic mold – a growing cause of legal action in the United States that often results in multi-million dollar damage awards.

The case

A California family, who rented an apartment for several years, noticed a water leak from an upstairs unit. They notified the property manager, but the problem was never addressed. Shortly afterward, family members started getting sick – but they didn’t know why. After seeking medical attention, it was discovered that their apartment was infested with toxic mold. They filed a lawsuit against the property manager and a jury awarded them $2.7 million in damages.

What is toxic mold?

According to Mold-Help, www.mold-help.org, a non-profit organization established to educate the public about the dangers of mold, approximately 25 million Americans suffer from allergic reactions to molds, yet most don't realize that mold could be the cause. Here is how the organization describes the term toxic mold:

The term toxic mold is somewhat misleading as it exudes an idea that certain molds are toxic, when actually certain types of molds produce secondary metabolites that produce toxins. The correct term is mycotoxins. Airborne mycotoxins from can definitely destroy one's health. Sometimes, people are unaware that they are breathing mold spores and mycotoxins until they are very sick. Certain people have a minor allergic reaction to the non-toxic mold, but once you leave the affected area they most likely recover with few serious side effects. However, if they have been exposed to the dangerous molds such as stachybotrys or chaetomium, they could suffer from a myriad of serious symptoms and illnesses such as chronic bronchitis, learning disabilities, mental deficiencies, heart problems, cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple chemical sensitivity, bleeding lungs and much more.

A growing cause of legal action

Toxic mold is a growing cause of legal action in the United States and often nets substantial damage awards. It is estimated that over 10,000 mold cases are currently pending in the United States. In addition to the jury award above, other cases in Texas, California and Delaware resulted in plaintiffs receiving verdicts in the amounts of $4 million, $3 million and $1million respectively.

If you’ve been injured due to toxic mold and would like to speak with a lawyer whose practice focuses in this area of the law, please click here. Consultations are free, without obligation and are strictly confidential.