Suing the government can seem like a losing battle. Remember the song “I Fought the Law and the Law Won?”
Fortunately for some military families at Keesler Air Force Base, the corporation which manages the on-base housing is a private entity and not the government which means they are not protected against lawsuits.
Eleven military families recently filed suit against the Hunt Southern Group and Hunt MG Property Management which manages Keesler’s on-base housing. The lawsuit claims the company did not adequately treat mold in the properties. The families have accused the property management company of fraud, conspiring to conceal dangerous conditions, breach of contract and gross negligence. Residents began complaining of mold in 2015, according to the residents, maintenance attempted to treat the mold with soap and water.
Search “How to Remove Black Mold” online and you will be instructed to use products which contain chemicals such as bleach and ammonia. Soap and water does not populate in the search.
Residents say they repeatedly requested the property management company to address the mold issue but say Hunt failed to do so.
In 2017 environmental testing of the properties discovered high levels of Aspergillus and some Stachybotrys. Aspergillus is a common mold, however high exposure can lead to allergic reactions and lung infections which can spread to other organs.
Stachybotrys also known as “Black Mold” affects the respiratory system. Symptoms of Stachybotrys exposure can include a chronic cough and wheezing, headaches and exhaustion. Additional symptoms can include hair loss, anxiety, confusion, memory loss and numbness in limbs. If not treated, long-term mold exposure can lead to severe illnesses and possible death, especially in very young children and people with pre-existing health conditions.
I bet this makes you want to run right out and sign a lease with your on-base housing office, right?!
The lawsuit contributes the mold to poor insulation of the air conditioning system which resulted in sweaty air ducts and water damage.
The combination of the water damage and humid hot weather in Biloxi, Mississippi, created a perfect nesting ground for the mold to grow and spread.
Residents say they repeatedly requested the property management company to address the issue but say Hunt failed to do so.
According to Cindy Gersch, vice president of corporate communications for Hunt companies, the corporation created a plan of action to address the mold concerns, which included an HVAC modification plan to remedy the condensation issue in the ducts.
It was unclear whether these changes were made prior to the lawsuit being filed. I can’t imagine anyone filing a lawsuit if this “plan of action” was put into place after the residents first complained.
All rental homes have flaws – creaky floors, leaky faucets, a noisy refrigerator – these things may be aggravating, but they won’t kill you. Mold is not just a minor inconvenience. It can cause some terrible symptoms and illnesses.
As members of the military community, we have all heard of or experienced buildings on bases which contain black mold. After all, mold is common in humid climates.
It is the failure to remedy the problem which is concerning in this case.
Unfortunately, the alleged mold found in the Hunt Southern Group properties is not an isolated incident among military housing.
Lawsuits have been filed against Lincoln Military Housing in the past and some monetary judgments were made in favor of the residents. Based on these cases the families at Keesler Air Force Base may stand a good chance of winning their lawsuit.
Mold is in all humid environments
While this is true, the building material used to construct these homes were not the appropriate materials to reuse the level of mold within the homes. The materials used were that of homes constructed in the northern states, which are vastly different than those used by local builders along the Gulf Coast. The duct work is so poorly done that it traps the humidity, locking moisture within the homes, – along with chronic leaking roofs – are the perfect breeding ground for this issue to arise in. The only way Hunt can completely fix this issue is to level all of housing and start from sketch, using the correct materials and stall proper ducting and insulation. But that would cost the company, roughly, 3.21 billion dollars; which is no shocker that they would choose not to go that route and do what they have been doing – slapping band aids on the problems, lying about the severity of issues, and fraudulently covering up their gross negligence. It’s so bad that I’ve known several families that had major healths that could have killed them due it the mold and the conditions of the homes; such as a mold spore inhaled through the sinus cavity that ate way at the bone bone the sinus cavity and the brain cavity and a 1 year repeatedly having fevers spiking over 105 degrees and intense siezures, and much more. This issue may seem as though many are blowing out of portion, there is a great deal more going on than what meets the eye.
I was told that we couldn’t sue Lincoln. We were constantly auck and I told them on a daily basis that there is mold. I’ve been telling them for nearly 20 years now. We still have mold issues but no one cares.
If you research how to treat toxic mold from a credible mold expert or an IICRC certified company, you should only be “treating” mold with ANYTHING (ammonia or bleach) if the area needing treatment is LESS THAN a very small area. If the area is larger, you MUST REMEDIATE the mold from the walls PROPERLY, according to specific guidelines and regulations. Such as, covering air duct vents and entrances to the rest of the property with plastic, negative air pressure when removing items from the infected are, etc…These guidlines for PROPER REMEDIATION are very specific. This is to prevent cross contaminating the other parts of the home. Housing on bases is not doing this. Also, was it not possible to ask the company when the plan to fix the duct work was initiated? It would not be hard to prove whether it was implemented before or after lawsuits were filed. Also, if you fix the problem, the air duct issue, but you don’t get rid of the existing mold in the walls of the homes, then fixing the ductwork is a mute effort. This is happening all over the country with other housing companies in the military. The men and women who are sacrificing their lives to protect and serve and even die for this country deserve far better than living in condition that are making their families very ill.
Actually bleach causes mold to spread in porous surfaces such a sheetrock. What Hunt used to clean the mold only cleaned the nonporous surfaces and caused it to spread everywhere else.
I had a similar issue with Hunt Property Management in Hawaii. There seems to be a pattern.
I don’t think the government should be contracting with these companies. We all know that they take the lowest bidder for everything so it does not surprise me at all. Their business practices are subpar at best. They need to go back to when the government handled housing and repairs. We are forced to deal with poor conditions, especially in areas where you cannot afford to live off the base, i.e. Camp Pendleton, Miramar, etc.. I’m surprised it took a group this long to sue for something. We had also been told that we couldn’t sue housing.. I think they tell newbies (15 years ago) to scare them. I’m just speculating but I hope this gets the attention of other contractors.