THE MOBILE HOME FROM HELL!

We purchased a New Doublewide Mobile Home, that included it's Installation. Appx. 4 years after living in the residence, we had a birthday party for my oldest son, whereby a nephew fell into one of the walls in the hallway, whereby it left a handprint in the wall, similar to pressing your hand into play dough. Then, we started investigating, to see what was wrong. We noticed on the back side of another wall, that a picture on this wall, was spaced away from the wall, at the bottom of the picture, we checked, and the wall was bowed out, as well as soft in areas, as well as other parts of the home. No one normally just goes around punching their walls, to see if they are solid and/or o.k., so, as we investigated further, like up in the higher areas, whereby you normally would'nt investigate, like at the edges of the ceilings, and up in crevices in the closet, the food pantry, etc.; we found small dots, as well as some other larger splotches, of what looked like Mold, Mildew, Water Damage, Dampness, Etc.

We were really alarmed, and didnt really know what to do, so the following Monday, we called the mobile home dealer, from whom we had purchased it from. Not only did I make many calls, as well as went by this dealers lot as well, to see him, to try and get him to help me diagnose what was wrong, to simply get a reasonable solution as to the fix. Appx. 2 weeks later, the dealer came by, made a walk through inspection of the home, simply leaned onto the kitchen countertop and sighed', then murmured, Huhhh'....We both walked out on the front porch, before he left, he said he would come back one day, and we could drink a case of beer together, then left!

Shortly thereafter, he sent a serviceman, that installed a metal ridgecap covering piece, on the roofline, whereby the 2 halves of the home comes together, after removing the shingles and replacing them, on this part of the home. I kept thinking, why was this not put on originally? I then asked this serviceman, if there was anything we had done wrong, he specifically said, "NO", and immeadiately left. Shortly thereafter, another serviceman came from this dealership and pulled the metal air ducts from the floor and taped some metallic type tape around our A/C vents inside the home, then, he crawled under the home, and did something, and then he left. Nothing else was done by the dealer, even though I had kept in contact with him, to see what else was wrong, or could be done, as these service mens work, apparantly was not fixing the problem.

We were sick in this home, but did'nt know what was wrong, but had ordered some videos, and had done some internet research, and had noticed that we had many of the symptoms, of Mold Sickness, and just by our own "Common-Sense", figured out, this was what our problems were stemming from, as well as the problems with the home, being the cause. Note: Appx. 3 months after moving into this home, we noticed that the dark green carpet, was turning a yellow color in various places, so, even back at that time, we called this same dealer, he told us to simply get some carpet dye, and that would fix the problem. We did'nt find any carpet dye, at this particular carpet store we went to, the guy working there, had a working relationship in business with the dealer, who we had purchased the home from; he simply laughed, and said, that the dealer needs to put you some more carpet in the home. We let that go, and just figured, eventually, as time and money permits, we would just replace it. But, as time went by, and other problems arose, as well as got worse, we finally thought it would be a good idea to have this carpet tested, so we found a specialist, in that perspective-field, after testing the carpet, he stated that the carpet, "rated a number 4, for acid", and it did'nt pass the "tuft-bind-test", and there was also "moisture" in it, as well as "other parts" of the home, by using another instrument. He said our baby did'nt need to be on that floor at all. This inspector, after testing the home, claimed he was getting sick, and broke out with red rashes,  became flushed, and had to go outside of this home, and wash off, before leaving.

We thought, well, it looks like there are other problems now starting to materialize, so we remembered when the Manufacturer had came out on a few occassions, like for follow-ups after the sale, to do some post home adjustments and check-ups, along with any problems that the new home owner found to be wrong. We thought, well, the dealer is not acting appropriately, or fast enough, so maybe the manufacturer can help figure out all of this. We never had even considered any legal action, just wanted to get the home fixed. So, we called the manufacturer, and got the service manager, on the phone, while talking to him, we got around to where we mentioned the Mold,  he cursed my wife and I out, as we were both on the phone, and he said that there was no such thing as toxic mold, and that even if it was, it would'nt hurt you, because, you would have to have sewer running in the house for it to be toxic. We had since learned that this was not true. This manufacturers service manager, after a few more conversations back and forth, via phone calls, finally, later on, said that they would come and fix the home. We in essence, told them that it would be fine, but our insurance company was presently in the middle of an investigation of the home, as well as, that we were trying to get some Mold Testing done, to see what we were actually dealing with, and had been sick, we thought, from this home. This service manager told us, after he had set up a date to come, that it had to be done right then, and only then, or their offer to fix the home was withdrawn. We explained the importance of this testing, he insisted on it being his way, and on his time schedule, and that it was either now or never, basically. He said that they would throw out, all the stuff that was contaminated, outside into the yard, and that we could test it later. We knew this was not a safe protocol, from what we had been learning, and our children were the sickest, there were always continued trips to doctors, for all types of problems, as well as ourselves. On many occassions, we couldnt even try and seek medical attention for ourselves, due to all the problems that the children were having, especially the baby. We naturally declined the manufacturers service managers offer, due to their haphazard way of wanting to deal with the Mold Issue.

Then, as a last resort, we figured we would try calling the State Fire Marshalls Office, as the Insurance Co., would not cover the claim, due to a Mold Clause, & due to, that they had determined, upon their investigation, that the negligence, causing the problems, was from the Mobile Home Dealer & Manufacturer. We knew all along that something was wrong with this home; we just did'nt know how severe it really was. The State Fire Marshall Agent came out, as well as the dealer, and the manufacturers service manager/the same guy who cursed us out. They must both be present, at an inspection/complaint, like this, as we were told. So, we still had not filed a lawsuit, but had a young attorney, who lived nearby, who didnt even charge us, come by, when this inspection was taking place, there at our damaged home. We felt we needed someone as a witness, due to the problems we had encountered already, and the way we had been treated, still not wishing to file a lawsuit, just trying to get something done, on a home, that we knew was making us sick, whether anyone else believed us or not. You know when something is wrong, plain and simple! The Fire Marshall looked around, and did'nt inspect the home, like I have been told that they usually do, after talking to others, who had called upon their help. This state agent was busy part of the time, talking to the mobile home dealer, about drinking alcohol, over at a racetrack, that they apparently both frequented. The Fire Marshall made a few statements, that there was some standing water on the ground around our home, I mentioned that it had came a major storm, just prior to their trip to our residence. I also mentioned that the home is 4 feet off the ground, and besides that, that all the water damage, that we were seeing in the home, is from the roofline down half way, not from the floor up, I mumbled, that "water doesnt run uphill", then he asked, did we have our home owners manual, and if so, that I should inspect my roof every now and then. I thought to myself, I'm not a roofer, plus, this home has only been here appx. 4 years. I then told all of them, that I could see where this was going, and I made the statement, that "I would pay any of them, or any of their representatives, more than their salary, for a week, or even a few days, and would even provide them with their alcohol, as well as videos, pizzas, etc., to just simply stay in that home, and then, when they came out of this contaminated home, their doctor could tell them what was wrong". They all drove away almost immeadiately!

At this point, we felt that we had exhausted all efforts, with 4 entities contacted, with no results to our satisfaction, and, us, trying to do, what we felt was the right thing, by not suing, and trying to work things out! (We had even made mention on several occassions, that we would even pay for something to be done). From what we were seeing, as well, as what we learned later, they knew what was in this home, and it would have been too much money to fix properly, not to mention our health problems, and they didnt want any of this liability, especially if we were to see what was really wrong, they just wanted a quick coverup job, to hide the evidence, no matter what happened to us! Little did we know, the adventure of horrors had just begun, on top of mounting medical bills, all of us being sick, having to buy a another home, furniture, clothes, food, insurance,etc., etc. We are still, to this day, paying the note & insurance on the unliveable home, so as not to lose our credit.

For much of the time during all of this, I went from working 8-10 Hours a day, to 12-18 hours a day, to keep up with all of this, as it progressed, as well as the expenses incurred. Had it not been for one of our local doctors, telling us to run a test, by staying out of the residence some, or whenever we could, to see if it was the home actually making us sick, this worked, and we noticed the difference. We still dont know what would have happened to us, had we stayed, we are most certain our baby would have died! There will be more updates and information added, as to what the Experts found wrong with this Mobile Home; as well as other excerpts, about the delimnas, facing many of those who buy, rent and/or live in a Mobile Home. Some of this criteria can pertain to any type residence, including: Wood, Brick, Concrete, Stucco, Metal, Etc. Ours just happened to be a Mobile Home.

                                                 PROBLEMS FOUND WITH HOME!

What we found wrong with this Home; after years of research, many experts hired, and thousands of dollars spent, is unbelievable!
 
1) No Ground Vapor Barrier on ground, under the mobile home, so as to keep moisture out from under the home, "the same principle as placing polyethelyne under concrete slabs of homes, to keep the slab from sweating inside your home.

2) Air Conditioning System mis-matched, a (4) ton outside compressor, matched to a (3) ton internal Coil inside the home, whereby it is shown in many applications not to differentiate over 1/2 ton, and states it is even better to match equally. this mis-matching the 2 units, causes the overload of the inside unit, causing excess condensation to form, as the unit actually overworks itself, as well as adds excess moisture in this type improperly installed home, which adds to the other problems substantially. 

3)This is not to mention, that the dealer told us, the customer, to use the fine mesh stainless steel air conditioning filters, that were placed directly over the coil, instead of conventional filters, as per our conversation of this matter upon installation of the home.

4)The dealer ran the air conditioner condensate drain line from the inside unit outside the home, with the line appx. 6-8 inches off the ground outside the home, but left the line on the ground under the home.

5)Not to mention, the plumbing fixtures were not glued and fitted, just duct taped together, not a tight fit, loosely fitted, allowing water to escape around  this joint, therefore putting water under the home.

6)Also, the HVAC Ducts/Crossover Ducts, that the air and heat flow through from one side of the home to the other, was simply lying on the ground, and not pinned up off the ground, allowing excess moisture to be transmitted into the home, especially with no ground vapor barrier under it, an improperly sized a/c, improperly installed a/c drain line dumping water under the home, but only when the a/c compressor was on, or this would not be noticed, wrong a/c filters, as they claimed we used, when we later complained about problems, that were the a/c filters they intially approved.
 
7)No ridge cap on home, this is the metal piece that runs along the top center of the home, to close the exterior-gap over the 2 halves of the doublewide, when the home is put together, whereby then the shingles are placed/lapped over this metal piece, you will have a seal of somewhat, to cover the gap. After we complained, this was the first thing the dealer sent a serviceman out to the home, and place on this home. (How odd, why wait until we lived in the home appx. 4 years?)

8)They also knew at this time, when putting this metal ridgecap on this home, that there was also no "Seal", which goes in the interior- gap ,whereby the 2 halves come together, this goes into the gap, down in the body of the walls and the outer edges, to form an airtight interior-gap-seal before you place the metal ridge cap on last.

9)We also found there to be no seal in the end walls of this home, after removing some of the mold damaged sheetrock, whereby doing inspections, we could see daylight through the end walls. Had the vinyl siding been removed from the outside of the home, you would be looking outside into the yard, from inside the home. We later, upon further inspections, removed this metal ridgecap on the roof, whereby no seal was found, and could literally see down into the home, or from inside the home, we could see the sun coming through, with fairly large sized cracks in places. Of course, the shingles were all that kept water out to a certain degree, except that all the condensation from outside was forming from the hot air outside meeting the cold air inside, especially when the a/c would be on, and like one of our experts said, "it would be like putting a glass of iced tea on a table and watching the water run off the table", except this was running our roof line, down into our home and we didnt know it, not to mention all the other improper installation problems that were adding to the problem.
 
10)We later found that the floor was not properly sealed as well, just a bottom board tape pulled back over and stapled, leaving a gap between the staples, which did not form an airtight fit, as one expert noted.

11)Then to our utter amazement, we found that the roofline, not only didnt originally have a metal ridgecap, nor a seal, but the "Lagbolts", these are the bolts that pull the two halves of the home together, after you get the 2 halves up close, and then tighten these bolts to pull the halves into the seal material; we found that only appx. between 1/3 to 1/4 of these were installed. Their own manual stated these to be placed every 32 inches on center, we found gaps from 9 to 17 feet without one lagbolt. I guess if you dont put the metal ridgecap or the seal, why put the lagbolts to pull it together? 

12)We later also found that the end walls, whereby no seal was found, had "NO" "toe nail end wall nails", as their manual mentioned, so as to pull these walls together tight, with the seal that wasnt there either. Who would want to be sitting in their home looking through an open gap, with the wind, rain, sun or ice coming right in, or worse, have these gaps covered somewhat, so that you cant see what all is rotting behind your interior walls.
 
13) Skirting was improper & under-ventilated; as one of our experts said, that you must have sufficient airflow, and that there must be so many cubic feet of airflow under a home like this, whereby he stated that the skirting wasnt perforated enough to ventilate sufficiently, whereby causing more problems, similar to a vacuum of humid air being trapped, making all the underside of the home retain more moisture.

14) Hot Water Heater had no drain pan or drain pan drain line, to relieve any water from the home, in case of a leak. There was a pop off valve drain line right next to where the drain pan line should have been installed. There was heavy caulking in and around the water heater in its cavity whereby it was placed. (The manual that came with the home, showed that the water heater had been inpected, and had been stamped, by "Inspector #8"). (This same manual showed a drain pan was a standard feature, not an option). (This manual also stated in several places, that "all water heaters eventually will leak"). We had a couple small seeps', and once or twice, it got on the carpet outside the water heater cavity/room, whereby we tried repairing the water-heater, and we always dryed up this small area. 

15)Then we found out that the nipples on this water heater didnt look to be proper, so we changed these out as well. The dealer stated that this water heater did all the damage to the home, and that it was all our fault. So, we and our experts tore up the flooring material, vinyl and carpet, all around the water heater, even in the hallway whereby the carpet had gotten damp, and we found that this water heater, or any water from it, had not done any damage to even the floor, nor had any of the laminate on the wood even been damaged from water. Then we pulled the sheetrock from the wall cavity of the water heater, even in this hallway, whereby we found no water damage there as well, nor any mold growing in that area. Also, there was no discoloration of the carpet any further than the edge of the water heater cavity, where this floor ahd gotten damp. Basically all the mold was on the other side of the hallway, across from whereby the water heater was. Not to mention, there was no seal in the floor, as we had discovered earlier,  for any water from a water heater or anything else to have crossed over, which in essence, would have meant, jumping over a missing seal, and then it would have had to have jumped up to the ceiling, and then ran down the walls, as most all the water came from the ceiling, as the hot air and cold air from the a/c met, forming the condensation, as the experts concluded on our investigations. This water heater issue', was used to distort, distract and cover-up, all the multiple issues, that were pertinent to the actual causes of the damages, and to make it look as if the homeowners neglect caused the entire fiasco. 

16)We knew that this home had already been installed once at the dealers lot with utilities on, as per our post home inspection ourselves. We do not know if any damages occurred there as well. Even if the water heater had have done this, which is impossible, you would think, that with 2 installations, that someone would have noticed that the water heater did not have a drain pan under it, so as to protect the home, from what they say did the damage. Are they not the experts, should they know what is or isnt done right? Most everything else wasnt done right, so we figured, why should they worry about this? Or, hypothetically, why not just leave these water heaters like this, so if something goes wrong, this will be a good excuse to blame the homeowner, you know it says in their own manual, that, "all water heaters eventually will leak". After decades of sales, service, repairs, repos, etc. "Who should know this Better?" Perhaps the dealer? Or should the homeowner just have to figure all this out by trial and error?

17)There were other problems mentioned by the experts as well; for example, they stated that there was insufficient airlow in the attic, due to abnormal restrictions.

18)We also found that the sheetrock in the attic had been wet and the backing was peeling off of it.

19)The dark green carpet was turning yellow in places, from appx. 3 months after moving into the home.

20)The experts stated that the soffit vents on the outside perimeter of the home were too short to allow sufficient air flow as well. 

21+)There are other experts as well as dealers, that have now come forth, that claim, if they look at this home, they would probably be able to show more problems than what we have already found. It is amazing, that with all these problems, that a dealer and his legal defense, could use one or two things against a plaintiff, who knows, that most everything the dealer did was wrong, and yet get away with this! But, ask yourself, how many people live in these type mobile homes, or any type home as far as that goes, how many could be sick and/or dying, or have died, and how many dont even know any of this, and how many actually believe whatever they are told, and/or cant do anything about it, and/or have no where  else to go? Thats what this site is for, to make people aware! Hopefully the rest of the puzzle will fall in place, at least eventually, so as to stop some of this abuse!

                                               LAST RESORT/ATTORNEY/LAWSUIT

After we could could'nt get any satisfaction, from all the other angles and approaches, to try and get something done, we went to a well known attorney. We paid a fairly large sized retainer, for this attorney to take our case. We have frequented, numerous hearings, depositions, legal proceedings, court ordered proceedings, as well as had our home inspected on many, many occassions, by many various parties of the defense; as well as ourselves, and our experts, which we would always hire, to disprove the defenses constant allegations against us. We were more involved with our case, than most people are, as we owned our own business, and many times would hire people, to do our job, that we normally did, so as to be able, to try and be involved, with every move of this lawsuit, as we knew something was really wrong, but, could'nt put our finger on what we were really onto, or dealing with.

We waited almost 3 years before the first judge, even got us near a trial, but, prior to this, we were always urged & pushed, to simply settle this lawsuit, for what we always felt, was much, much less than what we had lost, basically, a slap in the face, so to speak, as far as the amount lost, versus, what the defense wanted to pay. We knew we were sick, and we did'nt know the outcome of the medical-situation, and/or, didnt have any idea, what the future medical delimnas and costs, associated from all of this, could turn out being. But we were more worried about our children, than ourselves.

So, appx. a few weeks before this supposed trial, that we were to get, after our attorney had been hounding us, to settle with one of the parties, we finally decided to settle, for what we thought, was a "penny-ante'-settlement". In the mean time, a short while before this trial, and before this small settlement, with the one defendant, whereby we attended a hearing, we offered to settle this lawsuit, with both of the defendants, for basically, whatever the defense wanted to offer, in essence, if the defense, would simply, "non-suit" the children from the case, and simply, just leave them out of this case, in the event, that they had major medical problems later on, then, we would therefore be able to go after these companies, solely, for the childrens medical expenses, because, this was our most important concern, our children, and their well being. We were predominately more interested in the healthcare of our children, so that they would be taken care of. We were not asking for our, the adult/parents healthcare & well-being, just the children, when presenting this offer to settle. It was like fireworks were set off in the courtroom, the defense attorneys were running back and forth, using cell phones and office phones, we assume, trying to get the insurance company on the phone. This lasted for quite a while, but finally, the defense would not do this, or take this deal, how odd? We figured that they all must have known, that there was something, really dangerous about this Mold; as we had already had 3 unsuccessful mediations, as well as a pre-trial settlement conference, that we didnt get to listen in on, which was not successful either, and this would have a been a cheap way out, so we thought, apparantly, this is not what they thought! (Apparantly, the health issues were more worrisome to them, than this money, that they had been fighting over paying us, how odd?) Note: If we were just in this for the money, this would have been a perfect deal for them, unless, they were really concerned about what this Mold had really done to our children! It was if, in essence, that if you dont take what we want to give you, and do it our way, no matter whats wrong with you or your children, we wont do anything! At this time, we really had'nt found out, what all the Mold had done to us, because at this point, we knew little about, the in-depth dangers and information regarding Mold.
 
The things that we were beginning to learn, as time was passing, regarding Mold, and/or Toxicology, and/or, the damage it has caused us, was really beginning to worry us. Anyway, we ended up settling before the trial, with the manufacturer of the mobile home, for appx. 1/8th of what we had probably lost, due to them being only appx. 10-20% of the blame, of the homes problems, whereby the dealer, was mostly at fault. It's kind of like an automobile that you would buy new, you go back to the dealer first, not Detroit. The dealer is the first point of contact, and he is usually the installer, at least on most mobile homes, especially new ones, this would be who would be responsible for any installation defects, as most all of what was wrong here, was due from the installation. But, both parties, at first, looked equally as guilty, but, as time went by, and with more examinations & investigations of the home, by all the parties; even after the settlement with the manufacturer, we found other major flaws with the home, that was the dealers responsibility, and perhaps, the most pertinent damaging evidence found, that helped rule out some other direct or indirect misconceptions, concerning water damage to our home. Anyway, we really didnt want to let either one of these defendants off the hook at this time, and thought they both needed to go to trial, as they both knew what was wrong with the home, and neither, had acted appropriately, and this manufacturer had'nt stopped selling this dealer homes, even after knowing all of this, not to mention, they were both protecting each other, as well as with each of their attorneys working together, which really helped jumble all of the issues, making it more difficult, at least at first, to decide, who was the most at fault.

While debating the amount of negligence, on both parties, while at our attorneys office, on one of the days, right before this supposed trial, our lawyer made it clear, that the dealer was the main culprit responsible, and then went into his office, supposedly, to call the judge, that was to try our case, our attorney, then came back out of his office, and said that the judge had just told him, that we would get our long awaited trial, now coming up, the following week, against this major culprit, the dealer/installer. Of course, this put us going to court, suing only one defendant now, instead of two, and thus doing so, after settling, with the lesser of the 2 evils, the manufacturer. We finally agreed, but, I told our attorney, that if we dont get our trial next week, like yourself, and the judge are promising, this "peanut settlement", wont make a dent, in what we have lost, and that I would be losing more than this amount, that we are supposedly settling for, in just the next 6 months alone, by having to keep dealing with all of this lawsuit stuff, if we dont get this trial next week.

So, we got the trial the following week, so we thought! After getting in the courtroom, with the jury ready to be picked, after a few things were done, the judge decided to recuse himself, and said that he was too familiar with the family of the mobile home dealer, that we were suing, and that this mobile home dealers brother, was his bailiff & deputy, and this same bailiff/deputies wife, was the defendants/mobile home dealers sister-in-law, and, that she was the court clerk, there at this courthouse we were sitting in! The judge stated in so many words, that he didnt know, that we had this much evidence, against this particular defendant, and that he thought, something to the nature of, that he figured that the case would have been settled by now, and that he had'nt had a chance to look over the information on the case, until the night before! (NOTE: Our case was the longest drawn out case, at most every hearing, that we attended, it usually was set last for the day, almost always, due to all the motions that the defense would file, to get more delays).

On this day of trial, the judge, after recusing himself, also stated, that our attorney, usually settles like appx. 90 or 95% of his cases. I told the judge we wanted a trial anyway, and that from we had seen, on some of his prior cases, whereby we had watched in on, that we thought that he had been fair, and wanted him to go ahead, and try our case. Of course, we had'nt seen an actual trial he'd presided over, most of it had been deliberating in hearings, like our case, and/or, sentencing, on criminal matters, and of course, we were just beginning to learn, what all was really going on in this courthouse, as we were naive' and mute, to the point of legal matters, but learning fast!. The judge, then said he would have to have some time, to think about giving us a trial, after we persisted; as we wanted to go ahead and get our trial, right then and there, so as to get this thing over, and move on with our life. So, then the Judge went into a room, so as to think about it, then came back out shortly, and said he couldnt do this.

This deputy/bailiff, and his wife, the court clerk, would actually follow my wife and I, almost everywhere that we went, in this courthouse, most all of the time, that we were there, even when we would be with our attorney, and even if we would close a door, to try and speak in private to our attorney, we also noticed, that they would take folding chairs, and put them down at the door, whereby we were trying to talk in private, so as to listen to us. This was very annoying, and it seemed as if they owned and controlled the entire courthouse!. One day, while in this courthouse, filing some papers for our attorney, since we lived not too far from this courthouse, and since our attorney was appx. 70 miles away, this court clerk, and her husband/this bailiff/deputy, were sitting in the circuit clerks office, we noticed, that she was never very polite to us, but we never knew, at that time, who she, or her husband were. She looked at me, and sternly' said, that the man sitting over there, was the defendants brother, which was her husband, as he sat there with his gun and badge exposed, leaning back in a chair, I'm assuming, to intimidate us. My wife and I, thought to ourselves, who cares who he is, what was all of that about?

After the judge finally officially recused himself, our attorney, a little later on, came out of the judges back chambers, with a piece of paper, saying that the figures on it, is what the judge thought our case was worth, which was astronomically higher than what had been being offered. I said, well, why won't he just try the case, if he thinks we deserve more? Basically, we left there with our tails tucked, on the premise of getting our case moved to another judge/area/etc.

Later, this case was moved right down the road, to another very close county courthouse, in my and the defendents stomping ground, where we both basically knew most everyone. I had always told my attorney, that this case needed to be moved at least 100 miles from either of our stomping grounds, meaning the defendant and myself, due to us both knowing many people in these areas. I mentioned to the newly appointed upcoming judge, when seeing him one day, that I had a case coming up before him, and that he did'nt need to try my case, because I knew him. He did not seemed pleased by my remarks, and seemed rather annoyed, and sort of stomped off, or walked away rather hurredly, like upset or mad, he could have simply been having a bad day, like many of us do, but,  I had always liked him, and he had always been nice to me, so I figured, that this is the right thing to do! I had been on jury duty in 2 counties, and was one of the first, that was usually sent home, due to knowing too many people. I dont know, if by him trying the case, that it would have been fair to myself or to the defense, and I did'nt want any favors, which is what I felt had basically happened in the other county, with the defendant, plus, if the defense, were to later find out, that I knew this judge, our case could most certainly, have gotten thrown out, or simply dismissed. We could have wasted years there, in this courthouse, like the previous one, and we did'nt want to take any more chances, especially, after what I had just seen at the last courthouse, besides, most judges have a backlog, that is why it takes years sometimes, to be able to get to a trial, at least in many instances. I am sure that many judges would be appeased and happy, to recuse themselves, so as not to have a bigger backlog, which is generally the problem, thus causing such long delays. My first thoughts were, he should have been delighted, that I was trying to be honest, and trying to do the right thing, and actually opt-out' of any favors, due to the acquaintance! I just felt on my part, if I were to let this judge try my case, this would not be the moral, honest, ethical or right thing to do. I had filed a complaint on the previous judge with the state judicial review board, and had mentioned that this new judge, didnt need to try this case, and that this trial, actually needed to be moved, 100 miles from my, and the defendants stomping ground. The Juducial Review Board sent back a letter, stating that they had found no wrong doing!

It was very ironic, how one day, I was telling a good friend, about what all had been going on, with our lawsuit, and that I would really like to get a second opinion, like talk to another attorney, about all of this, he said that his brother was an attorney, and had just moved back here from out of state, and had handled some Mold cases, and might know something about the Mold issue as well. So, we talked to him, and he came on board with us, and our other attorney, as well as, got us directed to a doctor, who treats Mold Patients, but, the doctor in which he was referring us to , was out of state. Well, we had heard of the doctor on the internet, this attorney knew of several people that had gotten better, using him, as well as some of his prior clients, that he had represented. We still had problems and Mold sickness symptoms, the children moreso than ourselves. So, here we were, in the middle of a lawsuit, that seemed would never end, and fixing to spend more money, but our health was worth more than any lawsuit will ever be, especially our childrens health. So, we went to this out of state doctor/specialist. The defense accused us of getting this doctor, just to be a hired gun in our lawsuit, in essence, to try and get punitive damages/medical awards, for the injuries that we had sustained, by saying, that we simply found a doctor, who could say that the Mold made us sick! We could care less, about what they thought or said, as we got better, and are still getting better.

So, now, since this new judge had not recused himself, by my asking him personally, our attorney, finally asked this 2nd judge, to recuse himself, at a hearing, of course, at our immeadiate request, this judge finally does so, but, states, that he personally believes this is all, "a bunch of bologna", this really concerned us, as well as confused us!

Now, the court was moved to a third judge, appx. one hundred miles away, but the case was set to be tried, right back in the same county, that I had just asked the judge to recuse himself from. We attended a hearing with this third judge, that we had just been appointed before, after the last one finally recused himself. Appx. a week or so before our upcoming trial, with our third judge; we noticed that there were like 4 or 5 attorneys and like 2 doctors/toxicologists, etc. at this hearing, all there, to strike/try and stop, this out of state doctor, that we went out of state to see, from being able to testify, in our trial, as an expert on Mold & Bio-Toxic Illnesses, as he would have been able to testify, as to what he had actually found wrong with us. The legal loophole, or ruling the defense used, was called the Daubert Ruling', to the best of my remembrance, that can legally disallow, certain things to come in, on a case. The judge had said that the doctor didnt comply with his demands, maybe so, but, from what we were told, what the doctor would have been required to furnish, to be able to comply, was like medical records with HEPA releases on many, many patients, which the doctor didnt feel comfortable with, as per the patients privacy as well, as best as I can understand this. I thought to myself, regardless of all this, common sense would tell you, something is wrong with this picture, why are there so many defense-attorneys and doctors at this hearing, to try and keep this doctor from testifying, as to the Mold/Bio-Toxic Specialty, that he is an expert in, unless, maybe there is something about Mold, that they dont want people to hear? In other words, if the doctor is not credible, tear him down on the stand, why so much opposition, he only has thousands of Mold patients from all over the world, How Odd? So, the judge, finally did allow the doctor, to come into the trial, on our behalf, but, only as a family treating physician, which basically, in essence, allowed him to only say, that we went to him for Mold Sickness, he drew blood, were sick from Mold, he put us on his therapy, we got better, and in so many other simple words of the like, but nothing about the brain damage, the multiple symptoms we all had, the permanent damage, the future treatments and or costs, the unknown damage to our children, due to the MRI's not being able to be performed on them yet, as per the brain, etc., etc. the list goes on and on, but the law is the law, but we are getting better, that is what matters the most.

Had this case not went as far as it has, and as wild as it has been, we wouldnt have found this doctor, and would'nt be able to try and help others, nor put this website together, all due to our experience, resulting in being put through pure hell, trying to do what we thought was the right thing, and seek justice.

So, now we were headed for a real trial, and we got one, with a jury of 12. A 2 week trial at that. And lost, hands down, 12-0; after an appx. 1 Hour in the Jury Box, with lunch fed to the jury, as we were told, while they were deliberating in the box. What we thought was odd, is that, our attorneys furnished a large box, whereby, there were probably several hours of medical records, on our family, that would have had to have been read, to even be able, to come to any conclusion, as to whether we were sick or not, and/or, our problems that we were having, and/or, any future damages. This was all presented to the jury to review.

A young lady that worked in this courthouse, told me, on the day that our trial was over, that she had been working at this courthouse, for appx. 4 years, and that this was the longest civil trial, that she had ever seen, since being there!

Several other attorneys, as well as law-enforcement officers, that I have spoken to since, who have sat in on, and been in trials, told me, that any trial, that they had ever seen, or been involved in, whether civil or criminal, that lasted even 2 or 3 days or longer, in any city, county, state or federal court; always took, usually, at least several hours, or a half day, or even longer, to deliberate on, especially, since this had been such a long drawn out case, with so many issues, especially, with new issues being presented, that were greek to some, like Mold is! They all stated that this was totally unbelievable!

This trial was held in a Masonic Lodge next door to the Courthouse, that we were supposed to be having the Trial in, but could'nt, because, it was full of Mold, and being remediated  and totally torn apart for repairs! I kept thinking, I just need to blurt' out, in this makeshift-courtroom/masonic lodge, "Hey, if Mold wont hurt you, why didnt we just have Court next door, and simply just work around the Mold, and lets just let these guys just fix one room at a time, while we have court in another room, or area of the Courthouse, instead of tearing the whole thing apart, and then I would have loved to have blurted out, and why did everyone evacuate the courthouse, because, if its not important to anyone, and/or, regarding what it may have done to us, my family, in other words, why is Mold such a big issue next door, in the courthouse, but not my house?" Not to mention, I had heard the names of several influential people who had been very sick from being in this courthouse next door to our trial.

Hypothetically; could it be, that big industry could shut individuals down like us, due to their vast amount of financial resources, versus, our lack of resources; whereby, a governmental agency, financially, can afford to cover this costs, not to mention, the public outcry from officials, who can get something done, as per their position and political affiliations, which, therefore, bring attention to these type matters, as well as solutions.
 
(And this is what really bothered me; nobody, but nobody; in this County, in this City, next to this contaminated Courthouse; wants to come, and/or see or understand;  what a "World-Reknown-Doctor/Specialist", has to say about mold, when he could very well be, some of these folks, & this Communities, only help or cure, for the Mold Issues, that are actually materializing, right before our eyes, as well as in this very courtroom, with these Plaintiffs/Ourselves, not to mention, that you could sometimes, hear all types of equipment, as well as jackhammers, breaking into the concrete, right next door to our makeshift courtroom, removing the Mold, from the Courthouse, and this Doctor, has been suppressed, to not say what the extent of what this stuff can do to people!) (And no jury wants to take the time, to simply look at our Medical Records, before rendering final judgement on us, our conditions, and/or, most importantly, if nothing else, but, for our childrens sake!) We feel sorry for the entire community, that these jurors represent, who could help save a life, by being more questionable, like we have been, to be able to find out about Mold, and, like we will continue to do, so as to help others, so that this never happens to anyone else, as long as we can do something about this! This story to be continued, until it is finally over, as we may Appeal, but it is costly, and we dont know if it would be worth it, from what weve seen already, 3 judges in appx. 4 years, piles of money spent, an uncertain medical future & costs, the costs to try and keep helping & informing others about Mold,  while dealing with all of this in its entirety! The way you have to view this type scenario, and keep your sanity, is to know, without a doubt, it was all worth it, and it is worth it all over again, if it will, SAVE ONE MORE LIFE, ANYONES LIFE!

                                   EVIDENCE / MISC. LIABILITY / DISCLAIMERS / LEGAL LIBEL

We still own a home that we cannot live in, with all of our possessions intact, the same as the day we walked away from the home. We still pay the mortgage note, power and insurance, so as not to lose our credit. I am sure we possibly will have to pay some type of environmental cleanup of the area, as well as an environmental disposal fee for this home, as well as for its removal, in which all could be fairly expensive. This home, in its present state, is suitable for any type of investigation, so as not only to prove the negligence of the mobile home dealer, mobile home manufacturer, the defense attorneys allegations against ourselves, but could serve as a prime media tool, exposing any/and all of many topics/subjects herein. Mobile Homes, Mold, Legal Slander, Etc. (We, as well as many others, have always believed, that anyone with an IQ of a "1", off the street', could do a walk through of this home, and within 5 minutes, tell you what was wrong, whether they were environmentally impacted or not, as some have been!) We own the proof, and feel that it can be used, to further not only the exposure of corporate wrongdoing, but expose the things that can cause severe problems and/or death in people, from the neglect and wrongdoings of those in superior financial positions. Most folks residing in mobile homes, will not and cannot go the distance we have gone, especially financially, regarding the fight we have made, and/or concerning what all we could expose here. This could be a wonderful tool to train the industry, as well as the public with; as the dealer and the manufacturer that we got our home from, have only been in business for appx. 40 years, so we figure, if some of these HUD Codes, ANSI Codes, State Marshalls Offices Rules, Etc., Etc. ; cannot and will not be complied with or enforced by now, maybe someone else needs to see this, at least in the publics eye, so that it does not happen to any more families. Most people lose so much, that they must give up and quit, unlike our case, whereby we will never quit until something is finally done, regardless of how much we have lost. The bottom line here is, if we had not been persistent, we would not have found out what we have, nor would we have found the proper medical attention. We now know why we were put through so much mental, physical, emotional and financial strains. This information was to never be seen by the publics eye, no matter what happened to us! We are still finding those who have been through some of this, in the past and presently. (We will offer a DVD soon, showing all the evidence, proving and disproving all the theories)

Since no one has been named in this website, or yet; is due to legalities that must be conformed with, at least until the appropriate time that the attorneys deem it legal, and/or any media entities investigate, question all parties, etc. What really matters here is that the people get the information to help them, whether these issues ever take place or not. I personally believe that anyone that would feel guilty, and cry out, especially without their name being listed, must most certainly be guilty. This story is true in its entirety, and I/we, would challenge anyone to that effect, to the point that we can "all just take a polygraph and see who's lying". This is not a hypothetical gesture either! As we are dealing with human lives concerning all of this, or this website would not exist.