For two and a half years, seniors Missy and Joanne – longtime friends both facing significant health challenges and living on limited fixed incomes – have struggled to reach a settlement after their mobile home suffered severe structural damages from a $1.9 billion construction project. They did everything right – documented their losses, submitted videos, photos, and estimates for repairs and still were met with resistance.
Desperate for a solution, Missy and Joanne turned to Community Legal Aid SoCal’s Seniors Unit for assistance.
We learned that thousands of gallons of hazardous wastewater – laden with Coliform, E. coli, Enterococcus, and raw human sewage – flooded Missy and Joanne’s mobile home and storage shed after heavy rainstorms. Their roof was further weakened and their personal belongings were infected with toxic mold. Missy and Joanne had to use buckets to catch rainwater falling through their damaged roof during the rainy season. The loss of their property was estimated to be $20,000.
This case requires legal experience, skills, and knowledge to research toxic torts and California’s Insurance Code and argue the contractor’s negligence and violations in a demand letter.
Thanks to Kathy’s legal expertise, we were able to reach a settlement of $35,000 – an additional $15,000 over Missy and Joanne’s original demand of $20,000.
While Missy and Joanne were ecstatic and relieved about the outcome, they also had some concerns about losing their public benefits once they received the settlement money. Laura Luu, Seniors Unit Supervising Attorney, alleviated their worries by providing advice on how to properly spend down the settlement money.
This is a great win and relief for two low-income seniors who had gone through so much.
