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Article: Homeowners, insurers spar over spores in toxic-mold cases.(Ballard v. Fire Insurance Exchange)(Texas)
- Article from:
- Trial
- Article date:
- September 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 American Association for Justice, formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA®). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The insurance industry has a mold problem. In June, a Texas jury awarded substantial damages to a couple who sued their insurer over a bathroom plumbing leak that mushroomed into a toxic-mold infestation. (Ballard v. Fire Insurance Exchange, No. 99-05252 (Tex., Travis County Dist. Ct. June 1, 2001).) It is just one of many cases.
The plaintiffs, Melinda Ballard and her husband, Ron Allison, alleged that they and their then three-year-old son suffered serious health problems--including bleeding lungs, neurological damage, asthma, and fatigue--caused by mold that grew in their home. They claimed that the problem arose because their insurance company mishandled a ...