Florida Woman Wins Sick Building Case
November 13, 2001
A Florida woman will not have to pay for her lung transplant and other medical bills after a judge ruled in November of 2000 that her exposure to bacteria, fungi, mold, and other toxic substances at work caused her to contract a sometimes-fatal pulmonary disorder. Jo Ann Holder of Haines City, Florida was employed by the Division of Fruits and Vegetables at the Florida Citrus Building in Winter Haven in the early 1990's. She had to stop working in 1996 when she became ill.
Pulmonologists say Holder contracted hypersensitivity pneumonitis, an inflammation in and around the tiny air sacs of the lung, when bacteria and mold were left in the building after a 1991 renovation. A 1993 engineering report revealed the presence of the substances but employees were not notified until 1998. These facts led Judge Mark Hofstad to rule against the State of Florida. The State was forced to pay past and future workers' compensation benefits to Holder as well as her medical bills, which include a $500,000 lung transplant.
Holder is currently on a waiting list at a Miami hospital for the transplant. Doctors say a new lung will save her life.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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