Residents join class action; sick from mold

8/2/02

Kingfisher, OK – More than 20 people have joined in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday against a Kingfisher apartment complex. The lawsuit alleges owners are responsible for a toxic mold that may have contributed to the death of a 5-month-old and left residents with breathing difficulties.

The lawsuit states that Bayli Marie Keese died in September as a result of mold growing inside the walls, floor, carpet, windows and roof of Meeker Meadows complex, 801 W Kens Road. The child died of acute bronchial pneumonia, the state medical examiner said.

Attempts to reach officials at the apartment complex or its owners Thursday were unsuccessful.

Mike Gassaway, an attorney for the plaintiffs, allege Bayli died from stachybotrys poisoning. Stachybotrys, along with chaetomium molds, are two of the most virulant and hazardous biological substances known to mankind.

Owners of the apartment complex were removing the mold, Gassaway said, but Oklahoma County District Judge Daniel Owens issued a restraining order Tuesday.

Melissa Mullins, who was Bayli’s guardian, is one of the plaintiffs. The lawsuit claims Mullins has suffered respiratory problems because of mold.

The lawsuit names 20 other plaintiffs and 20 more are expected by next week, Gassaway said. The residents state that mold growing in their apartments caused a variety of medical problems ranging from acid reflux, asthma, bloody noses, fibromyalgia, memory loss, and seizures.  The sicknesses suffered by the plaintiffs are “classic symptoms of mold poisoning.” (Symptom are located on this site; left side of menu).

Plaintiff Shannon Scott McClendon is said to be suffering from growths of a foreign subject in his intestines, which the lawsuit alleges is due to exposure to the mold. He has been hospitalized.

Experts hired by the plaintiffs have tested the mold in the complex. Preliminary results show the presence of mold-related toxins, Gassaway said.  Some of the plaintiffs are still at the apartment complex; others are living in hotels, Gassaway said.

Mayor Richard Reynolds and City Manager Jack Graham both claimed they had heard no reports of a mold problem at the apartment complex.

No state or federal government agencies are involved in any investigation as they fail to admit the severity and complexity of the problem.  Unfortunately, this national health crisis pandemic will continue to reach and exceed epic proportions so eventually these organizations will have to step up to the plate of maturity and respect of a very sick nation.  History has proven that feable and selfish leaders who ignore health hazards only lose credibility since as the CDC, tobacco, pharmaceutical, and insurance industries involving second-hand smoke, Vioxx, and the so-called “Avaian Flu Epidemic.”  As the citizens of the United States slowly but surely become educated in such cover-ups, all trust is lost.