August 27 2004

WILLIAMSBURG -- A family whose James City County home was contaminated by mold is suing the Charles City County business it hired to clean the place.

Adelindo and Carol Fedele are seeking $1.2 million from Servpro of Williamsburg and Northern Neck Inc., a local franchise of a national company that advertises services providing cleanup and restoration of property damaged by fire or water. The Fedeles say the company failed to do its job and the house is still contaminated.
No one from the local franchise responded to a call for comment on the recently filed lawsuit that so far includes only the Fedeles' side of the story.

Problems for the Fedeles began when a water hose leading to their refrigerator developed a leak while they were out of town two years ago. Water flooded their house on John Rolfe Lane, off Route 5.

They heard about the problem soon after it happened and had a neighbor turn off the water. But mold had grown all over the kitchen by the time they got home.

According to tests the Fedeles paid for, their house was contaminated with 10 kinds of toxigenic mold. They were told that staying in the house might make them sick.

Mold has only recently been linked to serious health problems and represents a growing problem for homeowners and insurance companies.

One mold case in Texas resulted in a $32 million award against State Farm Insurance. Although the judgment was reduced to $4 million, the company stopped insuring most new homes in Texas.

The Fedeles hired the Servpro franchise in September 2002, according to the lawsuit filed this week in Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court.

The couple told the Daily Press last year that they had testing done in November 2002 after the franchise had finished working and found that most of their house was still contaminated. The owner of the franchise disputed the results of that second round of tests
 
 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Pure Air Control Services
800-422-7873