Mold Problems in
Hotels, Motels,
and other Overnight Accommodations
Many hotels,
motels, bed-and-breakfasts, lodges, and other overnight accommodations often
have severe mold infestation that can cause major health problems to guests
staying only one day. In a few hours time a person can breathe in enough
elevated levels of airborne mold spores to enable mold to begin growing in
one's lungs and sinus cavities. Read all about mold health in the indepth
ebook
Mold Health Guide.
Hilton Waikiki Mold Lawsuit Settlement
On
December 24, 2005, the trial judge approved a settlement of a class action
lawsuit, in which settlement the Hilton Corporation agreed to pay $1.8
million to mold victims who had been guests of its mold-infested facility at
Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii. The Hilton itself is a plaintiff in other
lawsuits against the contractors, subcontractors, and architects who
designed the mold ill-fated hotel. Read all about prosecuting and defending
mold legal claims in the indepth ebook
Mold Legal Guide.
Here is the news article about the settlement of the mold legal claims by
the hotel guest mold victims---
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310AP_Hilton_Mold.html
Saturday, December 24, 2005 ·
Hilton settles over moldy Hawaii
hotel
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HONOLULU -- A judge has approved a $1.8 million class action settlement
between Hilton Corp. and guests who stayed in a mold-infested Waikiki hotel
tower, lawyers for the plaintiffs said.
Experts said the mold was a variety that can trigger asthma and also
irritate the eyes, nose and throat, but no serious health problems were
reported.
Hilton denied liability but agreed to the settlement, said a statement
from the law firm of Davis, Levin, Livingston and Grande. Calls seeking
comment from Hilton representatives at corporate headquarters in Beverly
Hills, Calif., were not returned.
Hawaii Circuit Court Judge Sabrina McKenna gave preliminary approval to
the agreement Friday, the lawyers said.
Mold overtook the 453-room Kalia Tower in the Hilton Hawaiian Village
complex and forced its closure in 2002, about a year after the $95 million
building opened.
The tab for cleanup was more than five times the original $10 million
estimate. The tower reopened in September 2003. Hilton sued 18 companies and
individuals, saying design and construction defects produced excessive
humidity that encouraged the mold to grow.
About 2,900 people who stayed at the building during June 14-July 23,
2002, will be eligible for $50 in cash or $150 worth of travel coupons for
each night they spent there, said Price, Okamoto, Himeno and Lum, the other
law firm involved in the lawsuit.
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