Victory in court - I won!

[Guest guest]

Dear sickbuilding list friends,

While I don't know any of you face to face, your

comments and questions on this list have been

extremely helpful.

Three years ago, I was exposed to stachy and some

other horrific molds while working at Rockland

Community College (RCC) in Suffern, NY. I was a

college administrator - sitting at a desk. Today, I am

permanently partially disabled. I filed a workman's

comp case and have been in court for more than a year,

although I was exposed initially in 2005.

Friday was my big day in court, and miraculously I was

awarded the maximum that I could receive under the law

for a " differential income " payout for 13 months of

lost income that was a direct result of my inability

to work due to the illnesses from the mold exposure.

Despite spending hours printing emails/ photos of the

day after the emergency room visit, photos of my

office, writing timelines/outlines, documenting every

conversation, etc - RCC's insurance company quickly

realized that their " witness " was going to do more

harm than good as she was going to have to tell the

truth and would be supporting my side of the story

(THE TRUTH!). Their attorney approached mine before we

entered the court and offered up the max under the

law, acknowledging that they shouldn't put me through

the testimony (and frankly that they didn't want the

details on record - there are many other cases out

there from RCC and it would be damaging to have our

testimony on record, I'm sure.)

I WON. No testimony was needed.

So, what have I really won? Ok, I won some money. For

some, it

may sound like a lot. I won't ever have my health

back, so there is no $ that will make up for that. And

frankly, the money I " won " will simply go to paying

off the debt I incurred being out of work for just

over a year. But what did I win? I won the paper

trail, I won that sometimes " right " will win out over

a backward and often corrupt legal system. I won the

right to say " RCC HAD to take the blame and HAD to be

inconvenienced, HAD to pay a higher premium, HAS to

acknowledge publicly when asked about mold in the

building. "

I cried tears of disbelief, shock, relief and

ultimately pure joy that the worst of this legal

ordeal is behind me. While I realize that they could

appeal their very own offer, today I revel in the joy

that I won a big round in the battle for my health,

for victims of multiple chem sensitivity,

hypersensitivity pneumonitis, respiratory disease and

brain damage. I will keep fighting for the people who

still work in the bldg, including the people who made

the decisions not to allow me to move offices for

months - they too can get sick, even if they want to

stick their heads in the sand for now.

So, please keep fighting for what you know to be

" right " and let my experience remind you that 1) never

ask for someone to give you permission to be healthy

and 2) that no job (or home) is ever worth your health

and 3) that you need to listen to your inner voice -

it is there for a reason and 4) that right does

sometimes win over the wrong in the world, even when

you're discouraged.

Thank you for being a wonderful resource as i continue

on this journey.

Missy

[Guest guest]

My heartfelt congratulations to you. I am very happy for this outcome.

Mulvey son

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