IAQA Digest /Reading Eagle
A successful toxic mold lawsuit has Madison Twp. officials scrambling to determine how to pay a $4.3 million jury award levied against the township and a private contractor Friday. Adding to the uncertainty is the township’s insurance coverage, which caps liability reimbursement at $500,000.
The award stems from a lawsuit filed in Lackawanna County Court by two homeowners who accused township supervisors and a private contractor of causing a toxic mold problem in their home because of flooding following a township road project in 2002. “I’m still numb,” said Philip Setzer, township supervisor. “It’s frustrating and discouraging.”
The verdict has township supervisors, who manage an approximately $475,000 annual operating budget, involved in intense negotiations with their insurance provider this week on what course of action to take.
•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC •Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant •Microshield Environmental Services, LLC •www.Microshield-ES.com