Corpus Christi Family claims mold forced them to move

[Guest guest]

http://www2.caller.com/ccct/local_news/article/0,1641,CCCT_811_1208279,00.ht

ml

Family claims mold forced them to move

Lawsuit seeks $28 million from insurance company, which declines to comment

By J.R. Caller-Times

June 14, 2002

It was a move that was supposed to bring a family together.

In the late 1990s, Spring Gehring and her daughter moved into the home that

she lived in when she came to Corpus Christi almost a decade earlier. A

single parent attending classes at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi, she

wanted her daughter to be closer to the girl's grandmother.

" I wanted to be home with my daughter, " said Gehring, 24.

Now, she and her 3-year-old daughter, Kaela , live away from Gehring's

mother in a southside apartment, heavily in debt.

Gehring said mold in the house forced them to leave. And in a lawsuit filed

last year in state district court, Gehring, her mother, Jana -Jon, and

are seeking $7 million in actual damages and $21 million in punitive

damages from the company that provided them homeowners insurance.

According to court records, State Farm Lloyds provided coverage to

-Jon, who is the homeowner. The family claims plumbing leaks caused

foundation and water damage and mold problems in the home in the 7000 block

of Fruitwood Drive.

Gehring said the problems affected her daughter's health.

" My daughter kept on having all these rashes, and she was sick all the

time, " she said. Additionally, she said, her daughter has suffered

neurological damage.

" We are optimistic that the medical documents on Kaela will be

allowed in this trial, " said the plaintiff's attorney, Sheadyn

.Gehring said her daughter's medical expenses have exceeded $10,000.

No trial date has been set.

Rodney Handel, the attorney representing State Farm Lloyds, said it is the

company's policy not to comment on pending litigation. He did say the case

was initially a foundation case and that the family accused the company of

denying coverage for foundation problems caused by the plumbing.

According to court records, the family alleges insurance company employees

should have known of the mold problems when they inspected the residence in

June 2000. The family also claims the insurance company knew of the mold

problems after the family hired an independent contractor to look into the

matter. Those oversights contributed to ' health problems and the

family's financial problems, they say.

The insurance employees, along with other State Farm entities, are named as

defendants in the lawsuit.

In February 2002, after microbiology reports indicated the home's indoor air

quality was unacceptable, the three left their belongings behind and moved.

-Jon now lives with her mother; Gehring and her daughter share an

apartment for which State Farm is paying the rent.

If the suit successful, Gehring hopes some of the money will go toward

fixing the home so they can all move back in together.

" We'd like to be together again, " she said.

Contact J.R. at 886-3779 or gonzalesj@...

Copyright 2002, Caller.com. .