February 3rd, 2010
Digital News Report – SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 3, 2010) — City Attorney Dennis Herrera today settled a year-long dispute between the City and owners of a residential apartment building at 152-162 Jasper Place that will require the landlords to promptly complete their abatement of habitability violations, and pay $50,000 in fees, costs and penalties to the City.
The North Beach apartment building houses predominantly elderly tenants, mostly monolingual Asians, who have been forced to endure a widespread pattern of housing, building, health and safety code violations that have been cited by the San Francisco Building Inspection Department for nearly a year. Today’s settlement — which Herrera secured with a set of legal filings in San Francisco Superior Court this afternoon — includes a complaint, stipulated judgment and stipulated injunction.
“This is a tough, enforceable settlement that holds the owners accountable for the safety and well-being of their tenants,” said Herrera. “I also hope that it sends a message to other landlords about the importance of following the law. I commend the Department of Building Inspection for its diligence in working with us to improve the living conditions for these residents. I am also especially grateful to the Chinatown Community Development Center for its outreach efforts with these tenants.”
Named as defendants in Herrera’s lawsuit are Jennifer Pau Lo, Jim K. Ma, and Jackie Eng, who own and manage the building. The City Attorney’s complaint details numerous egregious housing code violations that establish the property as public nuisance, including: inoperable smoke detectors; defective, leaking bath and kitchen sinks; mold, mildew, water damage on ceilings and walls; and lack of heat.
The case is City and County of San Francisco and the People of the State of California v. Jennifer Pau Lo, Jim K. Ma, Jackie Eng, et al., San Francisco Superior Court, Filed February 3, 2010. Documentation on the case is available on the City Attorney’s Web site at sfcityattorney.
“Changes in construction methods have caused US buildings to become perfect petri dishes for mold and bacteria to flourish when water is added. Instead of warning the public and teaching physicians that the buildings were causing illness; in 2003 the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, a think-tank, and a workers comp physician trade organization mass marketed an unscientific nonsequitor to the courts to disclaim the adverse health effects to stave off liability for financial stakeholders of moldy buildings. Although publicly exposed many times over the years, the deceit lingers in US courts to this very day.” Sharon Noonan Kramer
Information on Riverstone Residential knowingly exposing tenants to extreme amounts of mold toxins at Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Toxic Mold Infested Jefferson Lakes Apartments managed by Riverstone Residential
Katy's Exposure 