Breaths Held, Fingers Crossed

Today, my boyfriend has two meetings scheduled with local attorneys to discuss our complicated and messy mold case. Then, another later in the week.

In 2018, the ceiling of our condo collapsed due to a sprinkler leak. In 2021, we discovered our kitchen wall was filled with mold and were told that the issue predated the 2014 roof replacement. In 2021, my boyfriend and I were both diagnosed with CIRS and began treatment after ten years of being told it was all in out heads. We remediated the home and began treatment. We both felt much better for a month, and then our health took a nosedive. Third-party testing showed levels of mold increased post-remediation.

We’ve now been out of our home for over a year, and the HOA has been fighting us tooth and nail at every step. What progress have they made in that time? Their insurance confirmed there is mold in every wall of our home and, after five months of deflecting our calls, informed us that mold is not covered under the policy. Everyone is pointing fingers. There has been no progress whatsoever.

A year ago, we were briefly represented by a law firm. Our case was too complicated, so they dropped us.

Our statue of limitations ends this July. Our HOA, though they have assumed responsibility, are refusing to take action. They are running down the clock. We don’t have $100,000 lying around to remediate and restore our home to a saleable state, so we have no option but to take legal action.

We’ve been calling every firm we can find. Most won’t touch mold with a ten-foot pole. It’s tricky to prove, and expensive to call in medical expects. But we have a few leads. We’ve identified a couple of attorneys willing to listen to our story and consider its merits. We’re not looking for $48M for the decade of pain and suffering. I don’t even care about being reimbursed for the $178,000 in documented medical expenses. We just need enough to fix the home, wipe of hands of the mess, and start over.

This is our Hail Mary pass. It’s foolish to feel hopeful. It’s asinine to hold my breath and cross my fingers,. Yet, here I am red-faced and twisted, waiting. So, please keep us in your thoughts, say a prayer, or send out some good vibes. I would be eternally grateful.

28 thoughts on “Breaths Held, Fingers Crossed

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  1. Iโ€™m very sorry, Erin. This sounds so messy and frustrating. I hope your legal team pulls through. Sending you good thoughts and best wishes with your case!

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  2. I’m so sorry you’re being treated this way. I’m also surprised that black mold would be in Arizona. My son had black mold in a house he was renting in Berkeley. He’s asthmatic and it was causing him to be ill all the time. The landlord was good about fixing things, but they wisely chose to move.

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    1. I’m so sorry to hear about your son, but glad that he was able to move out to somewhere better for him. Phoenix actually has the 4th (I believe) highest rate of household mold in the country. The reason being that homes are built from plywood, so if it rains during construction or if there is a pipe leak with a wall, the cellulose plus high moisture is a breeding ground for mold. I would have never guessed, but now I see the vertical black discoloration on new builds and it’s a bit terrifying.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for letting me know. I wouldn’t have guessed. Yet, our home in Palm Springs had mold. It was built in the 1930s and was not built with plywood. I thought it had something to do with age and most likely a leak from the roof that got inside one wall.

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      2. It’s hard to believe we have mold with AZ being such a dry and arid climate, isn’t it? I’m sorry to hear you had to deal with mold in Palm Springs, but seems it can pop up just about anywhere.

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  3. Erin, I’m really sorry you two have to deal with this. And fighting at every turn to get someone to be accountable and take care of this mess! I can’t imagine the stress and frustration you are going through! Sending good vibes your way!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for you kindness and the good vibes, Belle! ๐Ÿ’• It has been frustrating, but we’re hoping to secure legal counsel to hopefully nudge things along. At the end of the day, I’m just grateful that we’re out of the toxic environment and our health has been improving.

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  4. What a challenging situation! I’m sorry you guys are having to spend your time dealing with this but I hope something productive or a resolution comes out of this! Sending my best wishes!

    Liked by 1 person

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