Exposing Environmental Health Threats & Those Responsible for Them
(and a few other topics)
Riverstone Residential, the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, and the owners of Jefferson Lakes Apartments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana allow tenants to be exposed to extreme amounts of toxins from molds by intentionally concealing evidence.
Documented mold inspection reports in 2007 confirming mold in many of these apartments were apparently not considered very important by the sellers, purchasers, Riverstone Residential, the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, and the State of Louisiana when all were involved in a transaction concerning this complex.
My daughter, her one-year-old baby, and I were allowed to lease an apartment which was known to have a very serious mold infestation, but they had covered up the problem with paint and cleaning the ducts. Many apartments in the complex are filled with extreme amounts of molds.
The owners, Riverstone Residential, the LHFA, and The State of Louisiana, all know of this severe mold infestation. There are several documents including our report in 2005, the report for the sale in 2007, visual mold growth, odors from the volatile organic compounds being emitted and many other complaints. Even with all of this proof, Riverstone is still allowing people to move into these highly toxic apartments, and it seems they have no plans to change that.
Our rights, which include not being intentionally exposed to toxins by an unethical and unconscionable company, have been violated again by obvious manipulation and corruption within the justice system.
All of the parties listed above have shown a conscious disregard for our family’s health, the health of other tenants, and state and federal laws. How dare they be allowed to do this to us and others and then have the courts look the other way.
By leasing an apartment they knew had extreme amounts of toxins from molds and intentionally concealing evidence of this, the owners and the management company of this complex made a choice to expose us to toxins and put our lives at risk. They now need to be held accountable for that choice. The fact that they and others can get out of being held accountable through obvious manipulation and corruption in our case and throughout the legal system does not mean they should not be held accountable. It means they are guilty of obvious manipulation and corruption in our case.
This should never have happened to us or to others and should not be allowed to continue. I will not just walk away from the harm this has caused us.
You might think this is an isolated incidence. It’s not. This same scenario is playing out throughout the country. Many families have been put at risk through slumlords, inhabitable apartments, improper remediation, shoddy construction, bad faith behavior by insurance companies, and corruption and coverup within the legal system. You can read some of these other stories at the following link:
Katy's Exposure 
It isn’t right and its happening to families every day in this country. Who do you call? Hard to say when the U.S. gov’t is backing the horror by promoting the false concept its proven “Toxic Mold” does not harm. Send a letter to the Director of DHHS and the White House Office of Science and Technology. Send me what you sent, and I will blog it here and get it out to others.
Hello, I have just boarded this crazy train and unfortunately for my family and I, it was not intentional. Three months ago, we sold our house and when we were unable to find one to purchase in time,we decided to rent. This is how our horror story begins. During our walk through on the rental property I immediately smelled a moldy musty scent, and my husband and I saw wet buckling drywall. The Property Managers acted very suspicious and said we could move in while they remediated. That didn’t seem healthy for my son and I because we have compromised Immune Systems, so we moved our family into my parents house while they did the remediation. After the remediated area was cleared, we moved in, and within weeks I was still smelling the moldy odor. I contacted the Property Managers on several occasions regarding the smell and every time they came out they told me they didn’t smell anything and that I was on a “mold phishing expedition”. I felt bullied because they would come in pairs, or 3 at a time. I was made to feel I was crazy for thinking there could be mold. Over the past 3 months my health has seriously declined. Among other things I’ve lost weight, have large unexplainable bruises, am losing my hair, my allergies are out of control, I can’t focus, I’m depressed, and most importantly I’m not able to care for my children the way I did before moving into the home. The property managers treated me like I was crazy and I was beginning to think that it may all be in my head, until I started seeing mold come through the walls. Now after further investigation and having a reputable mold testing company out, it appears the property managers not only knew about the water/mold damage, but hired a company to paint over the mold. Who do I contact to make sure this does not happen to anyone else? It appears I was intentionally lied to, and deceived. I’ve been to a doctor and hope to be on the road to recovery, whatever that may mean but I want to make sure this sort of deception doesn’t happen to others. Life isn’t fair and I will accept my fate, but this is not right!
Susan,
It would be our suggestion that you join Sickbuildings@yahoogroups.com The board has over 3000 members. Many are professionals who work within this issue. Others are lay people who have gone thru what you describe. Someone there may be able to point you in the right direction to obtain the answers you seek.
Good luck to you.
Does anyone have any ideas? I own a condo on the beach in Florida in a 5 unit building. the condos were purchased in 2011 by an investor after 4 years sitting w/ no electricity in foreclosure. All 5 condos were infested w/ hidden toxic mold. Both my and my neighbor’s dogs died within weeks of each other. 3 of the 5 owners continue to rent their properties to unsuspecting people despite my demanding they do not. I watch families w/ babies and grandma’s going in for their vacations not knowing they have mold. There are no standards in Florida – how much is too much. No agency will help me, including the EPA and Health Department.
Does anyone have any ideas how I can get them to stop????
Does anyone have any good articles I can forward to them – showing that even a week’s exposure is too much???
thank you!
Vince, “About” has been up there forever. You’re right. It needs to be updated.
All the above si great but can expand our thinking- there is more than just mould which create the health issues we flag and by not talking about them we are not looking at it rationally- where there is mould there is bacteria- where there is mould and bacteria you may have Endotoxins and glucans asscoiated with respiratory issues, Mycotoxins, and various other bacterial toxins. Some fungi can be infected by mycoviruses.
Then some of these components can react syn ergistically with pestgicides and more
Vince Neil
Mycotox
Yes. A problem with email. Please see our newest post, “Freedom To Speech For The Publc Good, At What Cost In America?” http://wp.me/plYPz-38r
PS: also gmail is returning my email to you saying that your email account does not exist.
PLEASE PASS ALONG THIS http://www.change.org/petitions/view/request_for_congressional_foreclosure_panel_to_examine_foreclosure_lawyers#
LAWYERS WHO FILE FORECLOSURES SHOULD ALSO BE INVESTIGATED
Foreclosure lawyers are officers of the court; knowledge of applicable laws and civil procedure is not required from mortgage lenders, nor loan servicers. In states that require judicial foreclosures, lawyers are the ones who file lawsuits to seize and sell property; and lawyers are responsible for filing and recording foreclosure property deeds.
Scores of homeowners do not contest foreclosures because:
1. They don’t have knowledge of the law in order to recognize which aspects of foreclosure are legally challengeable or even fraudulent.
2. Even those who identify wrongdoing, lack funds to pay for attorneys to represent them.
3. Homeowners are told to come to foreclosure auctions with money that they do not have, so they stay away from foreclosure auctions.
These homeowners are oblivious about sometimes “straw buyers” and sometimes lawyers in charge of foreclosures, obtaining illegal ownership of people’s homes, and pay literally nothing through “credit bids;” and that those recorded deeds from such auctions are Null! For these very reasons, there needs to be a probe of lawyers who file foreclosures.
Also, the average lay person doesn’t know about legal requirements of “standing” that prevents their homes from being repossessed via non-existent lenders, or via lenders who have no ownership of promissory notes.
Yet, courts are supposed to enforce “standing” and compliance with established laws! Inadequate or questionable foreclosure leads to useless property deeds that impede real estate sales; title insurance companies reluctant to cover foreclosed properties; mortgage default claims are being disputed due to defective foreclosures. . .Sample of fraudulent foreclosures by certain foreclosure mills:
–Deliberately utilize defunct lenders or lenders without “standing” to intentionally execute false foreclosure proceedings in civil as well as bankruptcy courtrooms.
– Create and conceal malpractice, delaying foreclosures, engineer various litigations to generate billable legal fees.
– Orchestrate sham foreclosure auctions; property never becomes acquired by lenders, but by ‘straw buyers’
– Commit wrongs which are actionable (unfair debt collection, fraud, various torts) that give rise to lawsuits from property owners,
– Engage in self-dealing foreclosures by which some lawyers gain for themselves foreclosed properties
–Foreclosures via names of defunct lenders allow ’straw buyers’ illegally convey property deeds, flip real estate, and create blighted communities
– Unconscionably create false deficiency judgments against property owners after straw buyers acquire homes for pennies on the dollar
– Intentionally file Bankruptcy court “Motion to Lift” and “Proof of Claim” on behalf of NON-EXISTENT lenders, concealing fact of “non-secured” mortgage debt.
–Involved in fraudulent collection of property damage and mortgage insurance for illegally foreclosed homes
–Fraudulent foreclosures abet loss of property taxes to city revenue, rodents, vagrants, and blight. – Thousands of families are being made unlawfully homeless, scores of homes have been fraudulently flipped and communities are blighted from null foreclosure proceedings.
**more: Request for Congressional Foreclosure Panel to Examine Foreclosure Lawyers
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/request_for_congressional_foreclosure_panel_to_examine_foreclosure_lawyers#
Hi:
We are in Los Angeles, victims of Stellar Management-notorious landlords defaulting on all their buildings all over the country and currently being sued by The US Attorney’s Office. Read up on them online – they are the same management as The Enclave in Silver Spring. You cant imagine the nightmare. Please add this bldg to your list:
AQUA Marina del Rey
4750 Lincoln Blvd
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
Stellar Management/Brookfield
We have mold here in our storage units and bike racks. We pay 2-3K for rent and have stairwells infested w/ cat and dog urine. You can read up on what they are doing to me at this link…http://www.refinancemortgagenow.net/blog//2010/06/08/the-crash-of-real-estate-developer-laurence-glock/
As retaliation they are trying to evict me. I had an agreement with Tracy Fones who is our Manager here in Los Angeles as well, to compensate me for $1500 of legal fees and now they are trying to evict me. They just lost a Summary Judgement so on to court. They also have this AUM scam going on in all their buildings.
It’s just a matter of time…
Thanks for the posting on your site and thanks for the endless information you give out here…I’m learning as I go, from you and so many more in the blogging community… Keep up the hard work…and may everyone who wants to get back to NOLA, get back…
Thanks, Katy, for all your hard work and dedication in providing this website! You are performing a tremendous public service. I hope you’ve moved from the mold-infested apartment?
Thank you Nancy!
Thanks for this website and all the hours and dedication that you bring to it. I posted this website under the resources listing for Healthy Schools. https://sites.google.com/site/nancyswan/interests/healthy-schools-healthy-children/publications-and-organizations
Brasel TL., Campbell AW., Demers RE., Ferguson BS., Fink J., Vojdani A., Wilson SC., Straus DC.: Detection of Trichothecene Mycotoxins in Sera from Individuals Exposed to Stachybotrys Chartarum in Indoor Environments. Archives of Environmental Health, 59(6), 317-323, June 2004.
Campbell AW.; Thrasher JD.; Gray MR.; Vojdani A.:
Chapter: “Mold and Mycotoxins: Effects on the Neurological and Immune Systems in Humans.” Advances in Applied Microbiology (Volume 55). David C. Straus., (ed.), Published by Elsevier Inc., 2004.
Gray MR.., Thrasher JD., Crago R., Madison RA., Arnold L., Campbell AW., Vojdani A:
Chapter: “Mixed Mold Mycotoxicosis: Immunological Changes in Humans Following Exposure in Water- Damaged Buildings.” Molds and Mycotoxins.* Kaye H. Kilburn, M.D. (ed.), Published by Heldref Publications, 2004.
*Article selected from Journal Archives of Environmental Health Vol. 58, Nos. 7 & 8 for bound publication.
Campbell AW., Thrasher JD., Madison RA., Vojdani A., Gray MR., Arnold L.:
Chapter: “Neural Autoantibodies and Neurophysiologic Abnormalities in Patients Exposed to Molds in Water-Damaged Buildings.” Molds and Mycotoxins.* Kaye H. Kilburn, M.D. (ed.), Published by Heldref Publications, 2004.
*Article selected from Journal Archives of Environmental Health Vol. 58, Nos. 7 & 8 for bound publication.
Vojdani A., Thrasher JD., Madison RA., Gray MR., Heuser G., Campbell AW.,:
Chapter: “Antibodies to Molds and Satratoxin in Individuals Exposed in Water-Damaged Buildings.” Molds and Mycotoxins.* Kaye H. Kilburn, M.D. (ed.), Published by Heldref
Publications, 2004.
*Article selected from Journal Archives of Environmental Health Vol. 58, Nos. 7 & 8 for bound publication.
Campbell AW., Anyanwu EC., Mohammed M.: Evaluation of the Drug Treatment and Persistence of Onychomycosis., The Scientific World Journal, 4:760-777, 2004.
Anyanwu EC., Mohammed M., Campbell AW: Seasonal Evaluation of Antigenic Bacterial Infections Among Working Class in the Inner City of Houston., The Scientific World Journal, 4:778-784, 2004.
Anyanwu EC., Mohammed M., Campbell AW: Metabolism of Mycotoxins, Intracellular Functions of Vitamin B12, and Neurological Manifestations in Patients with Chronic Toxigenic Mold Exposures. A Review., The Scientific World Journal, 4:736-745, 2004
Outstanding arguments from Teresa Mc Cormick on the need for home inspectors to report visible mold! Thanks Katy for sharing this information!
WELLSPRING APARTMENTS IN COLUMBIA S.C. ARE COMPLETELY COVERED IN TOXIC MOLDS AND I AM DYING BECAUSE THE SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN ARE LOOKING INTO IT, FOR 9 MONTHS NOW. SO MANY RESIDENTS ARE EXTREMELY SICK JUST LIKE I AM AND WE WILL ALL BE DEAD BY THE TIME ANYHTING IS DONE.THE COMPANY THAT OWNS WELLSPRING APARTMENTS IS PRG REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT COMPANY IN PHILADELPHIA. 215-744-1200 THEY OWN APARTMENTS UP AND DOWN THE EAST COAST SO STAY AWAY IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!
I am trying to reach the attorney for Riverstne Residential Properties, specifically for questions regarding “The Park in Bellevue Apts.” Bellevue, Washington. Thank a phone #, name address would be appreciated.
Jim Allen