Katy's Exposure

National Apartment Association Tells Its Members MOLD CAUSES DEATH; Tells Courts It Doesn’t With The Help of US Chamber and UCLA

Thank You National Apartment Association. I will do my best to get this very important information out ASAP to numerous owners, investors, huge property management companies (e.g., Riverstone Residential), attorneys, and judges, AND, of course, to the MANY people who are currently living in MOLD-INFESTED APARTMENT COMPLEXES right now! katy

Kimberly Wilson believes her husband’s death last year was the result of her landlord’s negligence and a mold problem that stemmed from her home’s disrepair. She’s now suing her former landlords for $75,000.

BY VALLERY BROWN Oklahoman

Kimberly Wilson watched her husband fall dead in the hallway of her northwest Oklahoma City rent house last October.

She claims his death is the result of her landlord’s negligence and a mold problem stemming from her home’s disrepair. She is suing the homeowners.

“I had no idea that what was inside that house could kill Jimmy,” said Kimberly Wilson, 56.

James Wilson, 40, seemed healthy when he died Oct. 22. He’d recently had a few surgeries but was planning to return to his job as a locksmith in a matter of days.

The state medical examiner’s office ruled he died from pneumonia, office spokeswoman Cherokee Ballard said.

“It took him so quickly,” said Kimberly Wilson.

Joey Abbo, 36, Kimberly Wilson’s son, said James Wilson had mentioned the day before his death he was having difficulty breathing.

But this complaint was nothing new to the residents of 2115 NW 32. Since moving in to the home that June, upper respiratory infections had become commonplace. Wheezing, coughing and sinus problems were a constant struggle.

“I was starting to put it all together,” Abbo said. “The coughing, upper respiratory problems, Jimmy dying of pneumonia, mom’s memory problems. I knew it had to be mold.”

In a lawsuit filed July 12, Kimberly Wilson claims her former landlords, Najaya and Samir Khalil, owners of Samara Properties, failed to respond to numerous written and verbal complaints of water leaks and other problems in her home. Those water leaks led to mold contamination, she asserts.

She’s seeking $75,000 in damages. No court date has been set.

“This isn’t about the money at all,” she said. “I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to any other renters.”

Kimberly Wilson moved out of the home in December on her doctor’s advice. Samples done to test air quality revealed there was mold inside the home, Wilson said.

The home is vacant and windows and flooring are being replaced. The Oklahoma County Assessor’s office estimates the home’s value at $49,000.

The Khalils own more than 200 properties in Oklahoma County, according to records from the Oklahoma County Assessor’s office.

Online court records show no similar lawsuits have been filed against the Khalils or Samara Properties in the past 15 years.

The Khalils did not return multiple phone calls seeking comment.

Effects of mold

The World Health Organization in 2009 published a 249-page document about indoor air quality and the harmful effects of mold and dampness. It states indoor exposure to mold commonly causes upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough and difficulty breathing in otherwise healthy individuals.

Those with compromised immune systems can be susceptible to pneumonia and other rare respiratory diseases of the nose and lungs.

“Dampness and mold may be particularly prevalent in poorly maintained housing for low-income people,” the report says.

It states mold problems should be fixed promptly before they cause health problems.

“The Landlord Tenant Act is silent about mold,” said Mary Dulan, director of the Metropolitan Fair Housing Council. But Oklahoma and federal law do protect tenants from unhealthy conditions.

She said following the recent deluge of flooding in the area, calls about mold have become more common.

Landlords have a duty to make repairs and keep the home in a habitable condition, Dulan said.

Likewise, tenants must alert landlords to problems and follow terms of their lease.

“We guide tenants to be proactive and document evidence of problems,” Dulan said. “The law is on their side if they can document it. Document, photograph and get witnesses and put the landlord on written notice.”

Dulan said problems causing health issues should be discussed with medical professionals as well.

“Most landlords are honest and want to do the right thing,” Dulan said. “Many times they don’t even know there is a problem. That’s why it’s the tenant’s duty to notify them.”

newsok.com

U.S. Chamber of Commerce & Deceit in Mold Litigation

TRUTH OUT Sharon Kramer Letter To Andrew Saxon MOLD ISSUE

ARIZONA APPELLATE COURT DEFINES “OUTRAGEOUS! BEHAVIOR” AND THEN PROCEEDS TO PRACTICE IT – Fraud In Health Marketing By the US Chamber of Commerce et al. Submitting Known False Legal Documents By Licensed Attorneys

Political Action Committee – National Apartment Association (NAA) files Amicus Brief in mold case (two infant deaths in mold filled apt – Wasatch Prop Mgmt) citing US Chamber/ACOEM ‘litigation defense report’ to disclaim health effects of indoor mold & limit financial risk for industry

FEMA Using US Chamber Fraud in Katrina Trailer Litigation; EPA, GAO & Both Isle$ of Congre$$ Turn Blind Eye$

“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 about Riverstone Residential, the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, and the owners of Jefferson Lakes Apartments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana allowing tenants to be exposed to extreme amounts of toxins from molds by intentionally concealing evidence

Irrefutable evidence indicates that Riverstone Residential, Guarantee Service Team of Professionals, & plaintiffs’ attorney, J Arthur Smith III, must have agreed to exclude evidence that would have shown the owners of Jefferson Lakes Apartments & Riverstone Residential had knowledge of the severe MOLD INFESTATION at the complex before we moved in

Riverstone Residential Litigation

Mold Inspection Reports

Photos of Mold in Apartment

Attorney Malpractice

Links – Riverstone Residential Mold & Illegal Business Practice Complaints & More!