Stern Mold

The sudden December 2009 death of Brittany Murphy, a vivacious, seemingly healthy 32-year-old actress, shocked and saddened Hollywood. When her 39-year-old husband Simon Monjack died the following May, the mystery deepened. A lawsuit filed by Murphy’s mother blamed toxic mold and lack of mold treatment as the likely culprit behind the deaths of her daughter and son-in-law.

In June 2003, Brittany and mother Sharon Murphy purchased the five-bedroom home of singer Britney Spears for $3.85 million. The two women lived there until they were joined by Monjack, who moved in after his 2007 marriage to Brittany. A 2006 lawsuit against the home’s builders alleged a number of construction defects, including the presence of toxic mold. Shortly before Monjack’s death, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement for $600,000.

Curiously, autopsy reports named pneumonia as a primary cause in the deaths of both Brittany and her husband. Pneumonia and other upper respiratory ailments are well-known reactions to the presence of toxic mold. In December 2011, Brittany’s mother filed a lawsuit against the law firm that provided representation in the earlier suit. Sharon Murphy claimed the attorneys failed to inform her that acceptance of the settlement voided the possibility of a wrongful death suit.

Ed Winter, assistant chief coroner of Los Angeles County, denied finding evidence of mold in either autopsy. While the second lawsuit was dropped in 2013, Sharon still believes that toxic mold was the probable cause of death.

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