Woman says she got sick from mold
A Santa Monica woman is suing her landlord, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, claiming he’s responsible for her health problems.
Sterling, who owns 498 apartments in 13 complexes in Santa Monica, recently lost a court battle brought by Susan Scanlan, who accused him of negligence.
“He’s the total slum landlord,” said the former film producer who rents an apartment in a 23-unit building at 1127 11th St.
“He’s the total slum landlord.” — — SUSAN SCANLAN Tenant
Sterling is reportedly worth $500 million. He owns commercial and private properties throughout West LA and Beverly Hills, as well as the Clippers — one of the worst but most profitable teams in the National Basketball Association.
Scanlan said she was forced to quit her job in show business after becoming infected from extensive mold growth, water intrusion and insect infestation in her three-bedroom Santa Monica apartment.
A team of doctors is treating her for exposure to the mold, which induces difficulty in breathing, Scanlan won a petition with the Rent Control Board last month to reduce the rent on her 1,400-square-foot apartment, which she has lived in since June of 1998, from $1,106 to $431 per month.
The bulk of the reductions, $600, come from the mold contamination. Another $75 was taken off of her monthly rent for water leakage.
Both parties have appealed the hearing officer’s ruling to the rent board, which will hear the case on July 10. The rent decrease will remain effective with the appeal pending.
But Scanlan, who is not currently staying in the apartment, is asking that she not pay rent at all until the repairs are complete.
“We deny her allegations entirely.” — — GREG GARBACZ Sterling’s attorney
Sterling thinks the reductions are too severe. In appeal documents filed with the rent board, he questions whether there was actually mold in the unit, whether Scanlan was responsible for the mold and whether the matter should be left entirely to the civil lawsuit that was filed by Scanlan earlier this year.
Douglas Walton, Sterling’s in-house attorney who is handling the rent control matter, refused to comment on the case.
Scanlan filed the lawsuit against Sterling in Los Angeles Superior Court. In it, she accuses him of repeatedly denying the problems and then coming up with inadequate temporary fixes.
Patrick Moffett, a mold expert, testified earlier this year that the apartment is marked by high levels of mold. The LA County Health Department and Santa Monica’s building and safety department have cited Scanlan’s unit for mold infestation and water leakage.
Scanlan said the building’s manager, Rose Surkin, denied there was any problem with the roof of the building and said all repairs had taken place. According to the lawsuit, Surkin attributed a dark patch on a bathroom skylight to soot from automobiles on nearby Wilshire Boulevard and assured Scanlan it would wash off in the next rainstorm.
When the soot appeared to grow and Scanlan went to investigate, the dark spots were discovered to be mold growing on the inside of the skylight, which came off in sheets, according to the lawsuit.
The civil case, which accuses Scanlan of negligence and fraud, is scheduled for a January trial after lawyers have had a chance to gather evidence, said Steven Glickman, Scanlan’s lawyer.
Sterling did not return calls from the Daily Press.
“We deny her allegations entirely,” said Greg Garbacz, Sterling’s attorney on the civil suit. “Other than that I can’t comment.”
It is unknown how much money Scanlan is seeking in the lawsuit. She is asking for reimbursement for medical, apartment repair and attorney expenses, as well as punitive damages and compensation for missed work, according to the lawsuit.
Scanlan said Sterling hasn’t invested in her building since she’s lived there.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 3, 2003. Read the original PDF.