Orange County Woman Settles Water Damage/Mold Claim for $550,000.00

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Press Release Source: Wentworth, Paoli & Purdy

Orange County Woman Settles Water Damage/Mold Claim for $550,000.00

Tuesday January 18, 1:03 pm ET

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Court B.

Purdy and Gagen, with the firm of Wentworth, Paoli & Purdy

located in Newport Beach represented an Orange County woman who

became seriously ill as a result of exposure to toxic mold and other

biological contaminants in her Huntington Beach home. Today, it was

announced that the case has settled for a total of $550,000.00.

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Attorneys Purdy and Gagen represented Niko Black, in a lawsuit

against the owner of her Home located at 5061 Warner Ave., Unit C,

Huntington Beach, California 92649. The home was rented to her by

Defendant South Warner Business Center (SWBC). As a result of lack

of maintenance by SWBC and its agent, Hseuh (including a

failure to inspect the premises and/or conduct preventive

maintenance), the home suffered water damage and elevated levels of

toxic mold growth which slowly poisoned Ms. Black, causing her to

suffer significant and life long personal injuries.

Ms. Black first moved into the Home in September 1999. Soon

thereafter, she began to have chronic instances of water intrusion

and septic leaks which resulted in mold growth, amplified dust mites

and noxious odors. Ms. Black's health progressively got worse during

the tenancy without her realizing the cause of her injuries.

Eventually, Ms. Black developed respiratory conditions, including

severe asthma, allergic sensitivity and other debilitating symptoms.

Ultimately, Ms. Black was forced to move out of the house because of

the Defendants' failure to remediate the mold growth and eliminate

the moisture causing it. The defendant was cited by the City of

Huntington Beach and Orange County for violations of various code

sections, including numerous sections of the Housing Code dealing

with habitability.

The lawsuit was filed in Superior Court in Orange County before

Commissioner Elanor M. Palk. The parties reached the settlement of

this matter at a mediation before Markus, Esq., with

Markus/Kruis Mediation in San Diego. The settlement resolves all

claims of the Plaintiff. Regarding the settlement, Purdy stated, " We

are quite happy with the settlement as it justly compensates our

client for the ordeal she had to go through and guarantees that she

will be able to pay for future medical care. We also hope that this

settlement sends a signal to the owner of this home along with

landlords and property managers in general to treat water damage and

mold growth issues seriously and to remedy these kind of problems

quickly so tenants, like Ms. Black, will not be made sick in the

future. "

For additional information, you can contact: Counsel for Plaintiffs,

Court B. Purdy, Esq., Wentworth, Paoli and Purdy, 4631 Teller

Avenue, Suite 100, Newport Beach, CA 92660, telephone number (949)

752-7711, fax number (949) 752-8339; Counsel for Defendant, South

Warner Business Center, Ann Schiller, Esq.,WOLFE & WYMAN, LLP,5

Park Place, Suite 1100, Irvine, CA 92614-5979, Telephone: 949/475-

9200; Co-Counsel for Defendant South Warner Business Center, Won M.

Park, Esq., SELMAN BREITMAN, LLP, 11766 Wilshire Boulevard, Sixth

Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90025, Telephone: 310/445-0800

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Source: Wentworth, Paoli & Purdy