- October 29, 2019
Military families who resided at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph and Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio claim that they were sickened by mold exposure and other toxins. The families have now taken legal action against the private housing contractor, Hunt Military Communities. They are suing for damages and mental anguish.
Both of the bases are a part of the Air Education and Training Command, the main pilot training and professional education command for the Air Force.
The suit was filed in US District Court for the Western District of Texas. It alleges that Hunt leased the families homes knowing that they were uninhabitable. It also alleges that Hunt wouldn’t perform reasonable repairs.
“Mold pervades and grows in the houses, asbestos and lead-based paint fill the air, floors detach from the walls, plumbing is disconnected for years, depositing human waste under the houses, electrical lines break, roofs leak, and HVAC systems pump cold air into attics as opposed to the houses,” the families complaints read.
The lawsuit also stated that Hunt did not appropriately handle maintenance requests that were made and would deliberately “misdiagnose the issue, utilize substandard service providers to allegedly remediate the problems, and misled its tenants about the remediation actions allegedly undertaken.”
Multiple plaintiffs who are part of the case stated that they had developed respiratory problems, headaches, and other health-related issues that required medication attention as a result of the hazardous conditions they were forced to live in.
Captain Michael Daniels, Barbara, his wife, and their two sons moved to Hunt-managed housing at JBSA-Randolph. Soon after the family moved in, the water heater broke, which led to discovery of puddles of water in the crawlspace underneath the home.
The Daniels’ say that mold started to develop within the first few months. Within a year, it had pervaded their entire house. Mold grew on the walls and windows, it covered the bathrooms, and according to Captain Daniels, it was also growing on the rim of his son’s toothpaste when his child forgot to put the cap back on.
The Daniels family says that they started to experience respiratory issues as a result of the mold they were exposed to. Daniels needed to have surgery on his sinuses and his youngest son developed asthma.
2nd Lt Lance Lonzen and Megan Konzen experienced similar problems when they moved to Hunt housing at Laughlin. They lived there for 8 months and the entire time, they said that they had to content with mold, as well as a faulty HVAC system.
Just one week after moving, Megan said that she began to experience severe headaches, as well as intense coughing fits. She had testing completed at San Antonio’s Brooke Army Medical Center because her symptoms were so severe.
Mold Inspection & Testing San Antonio has years of experience performing mold assessments in military housing throughout the country. We strongly Hunt Military Communities arrange for regular mold testing from a reputable company to ensure the safety of service-members and their families. To speak with an MI&T representative, call 210.446.0912.
