Another St. East student sues school district over mold

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Saturday April 06 08:07 AM EST

Another St. East student sues school district over mold

By Fabbre Daily Herald Staff Writer

The claims are the same - conditions at St. East High School made a

student ill. Only the name is different.

This time it's Pittman, a 2000 graduate of St. East High

School who claims she was made ill by conditions at the school and is suing

the district.

Pittman's is the third lawsuit based on such claims against the district.

" I was getting tired of waiting, " said Pittman's attorney, Dan Konicek, who

recently filed the lawsuit against the district. " I wanted to be proactive

instead of waiting for things to happen. "

Like the other two lawsuits, Konicek is seeking class action status to cover

all students who may have been made ill by the conditions at the building.

" She missed many days of school her last year and spent a lot of time with

doctors, " Konicek said.

Konicek declined to elaborate on Pittman's illness other than to say that

while it was a hereditary disease, conditions at the school likely made the

illness worse.

" We know for certain that the mold would have exasperated it if it didn't in

fact cause it, " he said.

Konicek expects his lawsuit will be consolidated with the other two cases

that already are before Kane County Judge Colwell. Those cases are

scheduled next for a status hearing on May 28. Colwell still must decide if

the lawsuits can qualify as a class action case.

The first lawsuit against the district was filed in March 2001 by

Steinberg, a 1999 graduate of the school. The case was filed just one week

before district officials closed the school when potentially dangerous mold

was discovered in the building.

A week after Steinberg sued the district, , who graduated in

2001, filed his own lawsuit and Lindsey Scharpenter, a 1999 graduate, joined

Steinberg's lawsuit.

Smyth, an attorney representing the school district, did not

anticipate any changes in the case with the addition of a third lawsuit. He

declined further comment.

Pittman's father, , also declined to comment about the lawsuit.