Toxic Mold
Ed McMahon sues over toxic mold
in L.A. home
April 10,
2002 on
www.cnn.com
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- As Johnny Carson's
sidekick, entertainer Ed McMahon was famed for his infectious laugh. But
as a homeowner, he says he is involved in a drama that has left him
seething.
McMahon, 79, is suing his
home insurance company for $20 million, claiming it botched a simple
repair on a broken pipe and, as a result, allowed a toxic mold to spread
through his house, making his family sick and killing his dog.
In a lawsuit filed Monday
in Los Angeles Superior Court, McMahon, who for years served as Carson's
sidekick on NBC's "Tonight Show," said he, his wife Pamela, and
household staff members have been battling illnesses as a result of
exposure to a mold known as stachybotrus chartarum. He also said the
family dog, Muffin, died as a result of a mold-induced infection.
It names Scottsdale,
Arizona-based American Equity Insurance Co., a unit of Citigroup Inc., as
a plaintiff as well as several Southern California contractors who had
been hired to clean up the mold. A spokeswoman for American Equity
declined to comment Wednesday.
According to the suit, a
pipe burst last July in McMahon's estate in the posh Coldwater Canyon
section of Los Angeles, causing his den to be flooded. McMahon made a
claim under his policy with American Equity, which arranged to clean up
the damage caused by the flooding.
The lawsuit charges that
the contractors painted over visible mold and failed to provide the
McMahons with environmental reports related to the levels of mold
infestation despite repeated requests for documentation.
Copyright
2002 Reuters.
