~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monday Morning Mold - February 10, 2003
Mold in the Media
February 10, 2003
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mold Stories
-- ACIC Tells Calif. Legislators that Mold is Uninsurable (Insurance Journal -
February 10, 2003)
-- CA Rules Court May Not Shorten Summary Judgment Notice Period [Ed McMahon
Mold Lawsuit] (Metropolitan News-Enterprise, CA - February 10, 2003)
-- Mold is nothing to get sick over -- at least in most cases. So said
environmental experts Thursday at a seminar addressing what they believe has
spread to become more a media overreaction than a health concern. (Macomb Daily,
MI - February 7, 2003)
-- Demystifying the Insurance Industry - How to make sense of what is happening
(Professional Roofing - February 5, 2003)
-- Builder: Mold caused by homeowners (Nashua Telegraph, NH - February 6, 2003)
-- Insurance commissioner proposes Homeowner's Bill of Rights (Sacramento
Business Journal, CA - February 5, 2003)
-- Mold of the Week: Stachybotrys chartarum
-- School Mold - Steiner School cleanup could take less time, cost less than
estimated (Berkshire Eagle, MA - February 10, 2003)
-- School Mold: Parents hope to save school (San Jose Mercury News, CA -
February 10, 2003)
-- School Mold: Crumbling schools: Tens of millions wasted in slow, sloppy
construction, and Miami-Dade children are the losers (Miami Herald, FL -
February 10, 2003)
-- For Fun: Britney, J. Lo, Madonna Receive Worst Actress Nominations (MTV -
February 10, 2003)
-- The Law Offices of Cynthia Coulter Mulvihill, APC - a general law practice
ACIC
Tells Calif. Legislators that Mold is Uninsurable (Insurance Journal - February
10, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Insurance coverage for exposure to mold in the environment is impossible to
provide because losses cannot be quantified or defined with the current medical,
scientific, biological and environmental information available, the Association
of California Insurance Companies (ACIC) explained during a Feb. 5, California
Assembly Insurance Committee informational hearing.
Media
hype has many homeowners believing that mold is overtaking their homes and
attacking their families," Janine Gibford, ACIC government affairs advocate,
testified. "Because of this hysteria, the cost to investigate and settle such
claims is escalating."
Click here for: ACIC Tells Calif. Legislators that Mold is Uninsurable
CA Rules
Court May Not Shorten Summary Judgment Notice Period [Ed McMahon Mold Lawsuit]
(Metropolitan News-Enterprise, CA - February 10, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A high-profile lawsuit in which television personality Ed McMahon claims a
botched repair job produced mold that killed his dog produced a decidedly
mundane but important legal ruling Friday: Trial courts may not shorten the
statutory minimum notice period for hearing a summary judgment motion.
Los
Angeles Superior Court Judge Reginald A. Dunn, since retired, erred when he
permitted insurance company defendants to move for summary judgment in McMahon's
bad faith suit on notice a week shorter than provided for by statute, this
district's Court of Appeal ruled.
Click here for: CA Rules Court May Not Shorten Summary Judgment Notice Period
[Ed McMahon Mold Lawsuit] (Metropolitan News-Enterprise, CA - February 10, 2003)
Mold is
nothing to get sick over -- at least in most cases. So said environmental
experts Thursday at a seminar addressing what they believe has spread to become
more a media overreaction than a health concern. (Macomb Daily, MI - February 7,
2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"In most cases when you're dealing with mold in the home, people can just grab
some bleach and clean it themselves," said Donald Miller, an attorney who
handles mold damage cases for the Butzel Long law firm.
Speaking
at a seminar at the Mac & Ray's Restaurant and Banquet Center entitled "Mold and
Macomb," Miller downplayed a litany of high-profile cases where homeowners have
filed lawsuits over claims that mold has left them with lasting health problems.
Click here for: Mold is nothing to get sick over -- at least in most cases. So
said environmental experts Thursday at a seminar addressing what they believe
has spread to become more a media overreaction than a health concern. (Macomb
Daily, MI, February 7, 2003)
Demystifying
the Insurance Industry - How to make sense of what is happening (Professional
Roofing - February 5, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In 2000, many of us watched the movie, "The Perfect Storm." The blockbuster
showed us how a number of meteorological factors converged to form the perfect
storm. Within the insurance industry, there has been a confluence of key factors
that led to a "perfect storm" that began in 2001 and still continues. We've seen
an unprecedented catastrophe on Sept. 11, 2001; investment results that have
declined in stocks and bonds for a three-year period, which hasn't happened
since 1939-41; years of price decreases while inflation significantly has risen;
and reserve deficiencies that partially are attributable to the increase in jury
awards.
To
understand the insurance industry, you must understand that businesses have
mutually beneficial relationships with their commercial insurance carriers.
Insurance allows customers to transfer certain business risks for a premium
charge in exchange for achieving financial protection. For large organizations,
insurance becomes more of a financial transaction where the insurer only
responds when losses exceed an agreed- upon level, or self-insured retention.
Click here for: Demystifying the Insurance Industry - How to make sense of what
is happening (Professional Roofing, February 5, 2003)
Builder:
Mold caused by homeowners (Nashua Telegraph, NH - February 6, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NASHUA - A Hudson couple's mold problem likely was caused by their own work on
the house, the builder's lawyer argued Wednesday.
Edward
and Joan Marden of 2 Nathaniel Drive have sued Sousa Realty and Development
Corp. of 46 Lowell Road in Hudson, claiming the roof and attic venting of their
home were faulty.
Click here for: Builder: Mold caused by homeowners (Nashua Telegraph, NH,
February 6, 2003)
Insurance
commissioner proposes Homeowner's Bill of Rights (Sacramento Business Journal,
CA - February 5, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The state's insurance commissioner wants to restrict insurers' use of claims
history as a basis for renewing policies, and eliminate the use of a customer's
personal credit history as a basis for getting homeowners coverage.
The
changes are part of the Homeowner's Bill of Rights, a package of new laws and
regulations outlined by Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi in testimony
Wednesday before the Assembly Insurance Committee.
Click here for: Insurance commissioner proposes Homeowner's Bill of Rights
(February 5, 2003)
Mold of the
Week: Stachybotrys chartarum
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description and Natural Habitat: Stachybotrys is a filamentous fungus
occasionally isolated as a contaminant from nature and indoor environments. The
geographic distribution of Stachybotrys is wide. It has been isolated from
contaminated grains, tobacco, insulator foams, indoor air, and water-damaged
buildings. Stachybotrys produces trichothecene mycotoxins known as satratoxins.
These toxins may lead to pathological changes in animal and human tissues
Species:
The genus Stachybotrys has a single well- known species, Stachybotrys chartarum.
Click here for: Stachybotrys Chartarum
School Mold - Steiner School cleanup could take less time, cost less than
estimated (Berkshire Eagle, MA - February 10, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GREAT BARRINGTON -- Cleanup efforts for "black mold" spores found festering in
the Rudolf Steiner School will take less time and money than expected, said
school representatives yesterday.
The
current plan for remediation would have the students back in the school within a
month, said Mark Gardner, president of the Steiner board of trustees
Click here for: School Mold - Steiner School cleanup could take less time, cost
less than estimated (Berkshire Eagle, MA, February 10, 2003)
School Mold: Parents hope to save school (San Jose Mercury News, CA -
February 10, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a town where every home sits on at least an acre and 90 percent of them are
worth at least $1 million, where 74 percent of the workforce is professional and
where 42 percent of households take in at least $200,000 a year, the lone
neighborhood school is on the block.
But Los
Altos Hills parents have organized, and their effort to save Bullis-Purissima
Elementary is not your mother's bake sale.
Click here for: School Mold: Parents hope to save school (San Jose Mercury News,
CA, February 10, 2003)
School Mold: Crumbling schools: Tens of millions wasted in slow, sloppy
construction, and Miami-Dade children are the losers (Miami Herald, FL -
February 10, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miami-Dade Public Schools squandered tens of millions of dollars on a mangled
construction program, delayed crucial projects by months or even years, and
trapped children in schools that are not only crowded, but obsolete, poorly
maintained and in some cases downright unsafe, a Herald investigation has found.
Questionable policies, practices and politics have repeatedly hobbled
construction in the nation's fourth- largest school system, even as student
enrollment soared and the need for new or renovated classrooms bred
near-emergencies on campuses across the county.
Click here for: School Mold: Crumbling schools: Tens of millions wasted in slow,
sloppy construction, and Miami-Dade children are the losers (Miami Herald, FL -
February 10, 2003)
For Fun: Britney, J. Lo, Madonna Receive Worst Actress Nominations (MTV -
February 10, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Even the most jaded celebrity is usually pleased to be up for an award, but
Madonna, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez are crossing their fingers that they
don't win honors at the 23rd annual Razzie Awards, which celebrates the absolute
worst in the year's films.
Madonna
leads the pack with four nominations: Worst Actress and Worst Screen Couple
(with Adriano Giannini) for "Swept Away," and Worst Supporting Actress and Worst
Original Song for "Die Another Day." Hubby Guy Ritchie is up for Worst Director
and Worst Screenplay for "Swept Away."
Click here for: For Fun: Britney, J. Lo, Madonna Receive Worst Actress
Nominations (MTV - February 10, 2003)
Hyde Mulvihill APC
- a general law practice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Toll free: 1-877-267-9637 (877-cmsynergy.com)
Hyde Mulvihill APC
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: CMulvihill@cmsynergy.com
voice: 626-358-7471
web:
http://www.cmsynergy.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
