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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 Stachybotrys 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.
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