Category Archives: Mold Law

$32 Million Dollar Verdict for Mold Sets Insurers Up to Take a Fall

Mold Insurance claims

Mold Insurance claims

Mold claims, for insurance purposes, have been a gray area when it came to households, rentals or condos. Most people would make a claim about mold issues after they had been living at a specific residence for some time. Litigation always revolved around the supposition about whether or not the mold was there when a person moved in, if there was an external underlying cause, or if the person in residence created the problem.

Ballard Vs Fire Insurance Exchange

The Ballard lawsuit changed the way the industry looked at mold infestation and mold treatment. Without going into extended detail, the Ballard Family began to experience toxic mold symptoms after a major plumbing leak, and the insurance company refused to acknowledge there was a problem, even after contractors told them there was.

Ballard eventually hired private independent mold specialists that confirmed toxic mold to be present, and once that happened, the family moved out of the residence. Based on the findings of the independents, the lawsuit against Fire Insurance Exchange was settled in Ballard’s favor.

Don’t Take Chances

If you feel that there might be a mold problem in your residence, and this is particularly true if you are renting or have moved into a property that was occupied before you, get some independent testing done. Any documentation by a certified company will go a long way if you ever have to file a claim about mold infestation.

For the best in NYC mold treatment, rely on the professionals at Stern Mold. We are part of the Stern Environmental Group, and have been serving the New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island area since 1995.

Fourth Patient Exposed to Mold in Pittsburgh Dies

A fourth University of Pittsburgh Medical Center patient has died after contracting a fungal infection during a mold outbreak at the western Pennsylvania hospital. What caused the mold and fungus?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified a “negative pressure” room that was normally reserved for patients who already had infections as the likely source of the fungus. The rooms are designed to draw outside air in, but prevent air inside harboring potentially contagious disease from spreading to other patients. UPMC suspended the program September 21, 2015, but resumed it around a week later after reviewing procedures and treatments. UPMC spokeswoman Allison Hydzik stated the hospital wanted to “reassure our patients that we have taken every possible precaution to make our hospitals as safe as is humanly possible and have followed all recommendations made by federal and state regulators.”

Che DuVall, the 70-year-old retired glass cutter who passed away, was diagnosed with the infection in September a month after his double lung transplant. DuVall and other patients who died from the fungal infection were housed in the same room. He and his wife filed a lawsuit against UPMC alleging he was recklessly housed in a room that made him more susceptible to infection, which resulted in the removal of part of his new lungs.

UPMC declined to comment on the lawsuit, maintaining the deaths cannot be attributed to mold as transplant patients have weakened immune systems, increasing their risk of picking up infections that those who are otherwise healthy can routinely fight off.

Don’t let mold and fungus effect your health. Get rid of mold quickly and easily. Contact Stern Mold today.

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