Ed McMahon sues
over toxic mold in L.A. home
April 10, 2002 Posted: 5:12
PM EDT (2112 GMT) on www.cnn.com
LOS ANGELES, California
(Reuters)--As Johnny Carson's
sidekick, entertainer Ed McMahon was famed for his infectious laugh. But as a homeowner,
he says he is involved in a drama that has left him seething.
McMahon, 79, is suing his home insurance
company for $20 million, claiming it botched a simple repair on a broken pipe and, as a
result, allowed a toxic mold to spread through his house, making his family sick and
killing his dog.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles
Superior Court, McMahon, who for years served as Carson's sidekick on NBC's "Tonight
Show," said he, his wife Pamela, and household staff members have been battling illnesses
as a result of exposure to a mold known as stachybotrus chartarum. He also said the
family dog, Muffin, died as a result of a mold-induced infection.
It names Scottsdale, Arizona-based American
Equity Insurance Co., a unit of Citigroup Inc., as a plaintiff as well as several
Southern California contractors who had been hired to clean up the mold. A spokeswoman
for American Equity declined to comment Wednesday.
According to the suit, a pipe burst last July
in McMahon's estate in the posh Coldwater Canyon section of Los Angeles, causing his den
to be flooded. McMahon made a claim under his policy with American Equity, which arranged
to clean up the damage caused by the flooding.
The lawsuit charges that the contractors
painted over visible mold and failed to provide the McMahons with environmental reports
related to the levels of mold infestation despite repeated requests for documentation.
Copyright 2002 Reuters.
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