Silent Arizona personal injury

The injuries sustained by 47 year old Robin Minium were not the result of a sudden accident, but something far more unsuspecting – toxic mold exposure. According to news reports, Minium worked out of her home, an upscale Scottsdale apartment, as a project manager for American Express. She began living there in 2000, but by 2002, she had become very ill – and neither she nor her doctors knew why. It wasn't until one of her neighbors told her about mold infestation in the complex that the pieces of the puzzle started to come together. She saw her doctor again and he confirmed that her symptoms were consistent with mold exposure. Minium moved out immediately, but the damage to her health had already been done. She now suffers from a neuro-cognitive disorder that affects her short term memory and can no longer work because of it.

She sued the apartment complex management for failing to maintain the premises in a condition fit for human occupation. Minium's Arizona personal injury attorney was able to convince the jury that, despite what the defense said, the mold in her apartment was toxic and responsible for her injuries. The jury awarded Minium $3.3 million.

The dangers of mold

Mold effects human health in various ways, including:

• Allergy symptoms such as runny nose, itchy eyes and skin rashes and allergic fungal sinusitus
• Asthma
• Attention deficit
• Depression
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Infections
• Infertility
• Irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory system
• Kidney problems
• Nausea
• Tremors

It is estimated that nearly 10,000 toxic mold cases are currently filed in the United States – and several injured victims have received multi-million verdicts and settlements.

Multi-million verdicts and settlements

There have been numerous multi-million verdicts and settlements regarding toxic mold exposure. Here's a quick look at each:

Verdicts:

• $4.75M. A jury awarded a Virginia family $4.75 million in February 2009 when their contractor's negligence caused toxic mold to spread throughout their new home and left nearly the entire family with irreversible medical injuries.
• $2.7M. A jury awarded a California family $2.7 million in July 2008 when the apartment they were living in was covered with toxic mold and caused them severe injuries.
• $32M. A jury awarded a Texas family $32 million several years ago when their insurance company failed to correct a water leak which caused toxic mold in their home and they suffered severe injuries.

Settlements. Notable settlements in toxic mold cases in the past few years include two California lawsuits, one which settled for $22 million and the other for $3 million, a $4 million Texas settlement and a $1 million Delaware settlement.

For additional information on mold, see www.cdc.gov/MOLD/stachy.htm and www.mold-help.org/. If you’ve been injured due to mold, contact an experienced personal injury attorney discuss your situation and evaluate your options.