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Mold lawsuit settlement ends with $650,000 going to families Posted:

Thursday, February 18, 2010 8:59 pm

A move Wednesday by Circuit Judge Acree ended a battle between two

former Weakley County families and the Weakley County School Board.

Acree signed off on an order that finalizes a lawsuit settlement between

the three entities, the result of a battle waged in 2007 when Joost,

the mother of a former Westview High School student, filed a suit against

the Weakley County Board of Education for alleged negligence.

Joost and her husband, , claimed toxic mold found within the public

school had caused their son Caleb’s health to deteriorate.

Carol Hinman, the mother of Pochop, also a student at the school,

filed a second lawsuit which sought an injunction to close the public

school until Westview was rid of toxic mold.

Acree ordered the Weakley County School Board to begin extensive

remediation at the school last summer.

During a mediation between the two families and the school board in

Memphis in January, a tentative agreement was reached that would allot the

Joost

family $500,000 and the Hinman-Pochop family $150,000 in damages.

The issue was brought before the county’s school board Monday for

approval. The board approved the agreement and sent the issue to the county’s

Health, Education and Economic Development Committee, as well as the Finance,

Ways and Means Committee.

With unanimous approval from both committees, the issue of a nearly

$695,000 budget transfer was sent to the Weakley County Commission Tuesday

evening. There was no discussion by county commission members on a resolution

that would allow a budget transfer within the General Purpose School Fund to

settle the pair of lawsuits.

Memphis attorney Larry Parrish told The Weakley County Press afterward

that Acree’s signature on the orders will end the lawsuit actions between the

two families he represents and the school board. He said he and his clients

appreciate the county commission and the school board holding special

sessions to address the matter.

The settlement includes the two families dismissing all claims against the

Weakley County School Board. Acree’s order to have Westview High School

remediated of mold awaits a final third-party inspection.
Published in The

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