ANTELOPE, Calif. — For the second time, an Antelope housing complex is being sued for toxic mold. Now, there are new allegations of concealment and fraud as new tenants move in unaware of the issues.
As part of the lawsuit filed this week against the Arbors at Antelope Apartments, Jazziee Williams, a former tenant, shared her experience with ABC10.
“I was feeling nauseous thinking because it was my last trimester, I wasn’t understanding why I was feeling sick towards the end of my pregnancy when everything was going well and then I saw the black mold in my bathroom,” said Williams.
Williams, her husband, child and newborn lived in the Arbors at Antelope for a year with black mold. Working from home, Williams has inhaled it 24/7.
“Thousands of dollars to move in, to be told there, [and there] is nothing they can do. They are just going to put up a plastic tarp and leave my family inside this while we are missing a wall and it’s wintertime,” said Williams.
Williams said the complex asked them to move out this July for repairs.
The cost of moving twice in one year was too much for the Williams they could no longer afford California. They live in Arizona now.
Nicky Chimara has a similar story. Her Arbors apartment flooded during a storm in 2023.
“My master bedroom got super wet on the ground, I was like why is it wet? The water was coming in from the outside, that’s when I discovered the mold all over the wall. My children's rooms had mold, my kids kept getting sick I had to go multiple times to the emergency room,” said Chimara.
These are just two of about 150 people John Miller is representing with Miller Injury Attorneys is representing.
He sued the Arbors and won tenants a settlement in 2023. Now, he has another lawsuit against them. Besides the mold, he’s also suing for fraud and concealment.
“Concealment, in other words, people are still moving into the complex without being told about the pre-existing conditions such as the water damage, mold, mice, rats, cockroaches, and in our opinion that constitutes fraud,” said Miller.
In California, there are several laws regarding mold. Including a landlord must disclose it, respond, and fix it when residents report and pay remediation costs.
We reached out to the owner of the complex but have not heard back.
Another complex at 6058 Riverside in south Sacramento is also being sued for mold.
