A Lee County woman wants a federal judge to decide whether residents with hurricane-damaged homes may join her lawsuit against Allstate Floridian Insurance.

Cape Coral resident Luann Guy, 50, has filed suit in U.S. District Court in Fort Myers contending Allstate didn't pay up when Hurricane Charley left her living with mold.

In Guy's recent request, she asked a federal judge to turn her suit into a class-action complaint, so anyone who suffered property damage as a result of last year's hurricanes could join her suit seeking Allstate insurance reimbursement.

If the suit does become a class-action case, it could include thousands of residents with property damage in Florida. Property owners living outside of Florida could be eligible, as well.

In her suit, Guy said water seeped into her home after Hurricane Charley blew a portion of her roof off when it hit Aug. 13. Her homeowner's insurance policy contained a provision stating Allstate would provide coverage up to $10,000 to rid her home of mold "associated with a covered peril," but Guy didn't know that at the time, her attorneys have said.

Guy received about $27,000 for "substantial damage" done to the home, but that money didn't include cash to wipe out the mold, her attorneys have said.

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