Landlords – everyone’s heard of lawsuits in California involving asbestos, TCE, or other toxic chemicals that have caused property damage or negatively impacted people’s health and livelihoods. However, fewer people know about another toxin that has caused numerous lawsuits and millions of dollars in property and personal damages – mold. Although it may seem innocuous, toxic mold can actually cause a host of problems, from illnesses brought about by mycotoxins found in fungus to structural instability brought about by mold seepage. Here are a few real-life cases of property owners, employees, tenants, building occupants, and local governments who have experienced mold issues that have resulted in lawsuits.

1. Sacramento, CA

In 2001, Darren and Marcie Mazza received $2.7 million from the Partridge Point Apartments, where the couple lived with their 8-year-old son. The case, which at the time was the largest personal injury verdict in a toxic mold-related lawsuit in the U.S., alleged that the owners and managers of the apartment complex failed to respond to the family’s requests to deal with the toxic mold problem within their home. The family members began to suffer a number of health problems from breathing in the toxic mold spores.

2. Santa Rosa, CA

In 2007, a family living in Santa Rosa filed a lawsuit against their landlords and property manager, Molln Properties, for knowingly renting them a property that was a health hazard due to toxic mold. The family members developed asthma and mold in their lungs; they received $1.3 million to split with their lawyers in Sonoma County’s most expensive substandard housing verdict.

3. Los Angeles, CA

When Allstate Insurance Co. refused to approve a client’s claims for mold damage, the client sued the insurance company and received $18 million in punitive damages. This award was later lowered to $3 million after an extra review by a judge.

4. Los Angeles, CA

In 2012, former NBA player and coach Rudy Tomjanovich was ordered to pay over $2.7 million in damages to a plaintiff who had purchased his home in Pacific Palisades in 2007. The plaintiff claimed that Tomjanovich had sold him the home without disclosing the existence of water leaks and mold on the property, which caused numerous problems for the new homeowners after purchasing the home.