Our team was hired by a mom who moved into a brand new Mount Pleasant apartment complex with her special needs daughter for a fresh start after a divorce. Shortly after they moved in, there was a significant flood in their unit. The manager of the apartment complex moved our clients to a second unit, and after only six weeks, they saw areas with excess moisture and smelled mold. The complex hired a mold remediation company to come in and test for mold, and our clients were subsequently moved into a third unit, which also showed evidence of mold. Unfortunately, during their time living in the apartment complex, our clients experienced several medical issues associated with mold exposure. As a result of these medical issues, our clients repeatedly complained to management about their concerns regarding mold in their units. After a lack of action by the apartment complex, our clients ultimately moved out.
We filed a lawsuit against the apartment’s developer, the entity that owned the complex, and the property manager for negligence because they did not do what they were supposed to do to protect their tenants who were paying to live in a safe, habitable property. During the discovery process, we discovered numerous complaints of mold and mildew by other tenants of the complex, who also complained of inaction by the defendants. Our team worked hard to prepare the case for trial, where our clients’ treating physicians testified about the results of mold exposure and how it caused new medical problems and exacerbated existing issues. We also hired experts who testified about the future medical care our clients would need and what that care would cost. At trial, we argued that corporate greed overshadowed the defendants’ basic responsibility to provide a fair, safe, and habitable place for their tenants to live, causing our clients to suffer the consequences of mold exposure. The jury agreed with us and awarded our clients a combined verdict of $1,000,000.
