Contemplating a Contamination Suit

If you rent a house or an apartment, it's very beneficial to know the laws that protect tenants. Hi, my name is Sally Riddell and when I moved into my first apartment, I wanted to make sure that I knew all of the laws concerning the rights of tenants. I researched tenant laws and I also spoke with a family friend who is a lawyer to make sure that I understood my responsibilities and rights as a tenant. Because I knew this information before I started renting my apartment, I felt confident when signing my rental agreement. If you're considering living in a rental home or apartment, I suggest that you read my blog first. If you are already renting, this blog will also help you if you ever have any concerns.

Contemplating a Contamination Suit

31 January 2017
 Categories: Law, Blog


Everyone has the right to live in a place of health and safety, no matter what section of town or how cheap the housing prices are in a particular area. Sadly, the instances of property contamination are all too common, and the ability to get property compensated for the harm done can vary widely. No matter what the source of the contamination, from ground water to accidentally moving into a home where crystal methamphetamine was manufactured, there is always the potential to make the negligent party pay. Read on for more information about getting compensated for a contaminated property.

Who to Sue?

If you discover that you are slowly being poisoned by your home, your first thought may be to file suit against the person who sold you the house or your landlord. Unfortunately, it may not be as simple as that. To file a cause of action against someone, you have to show that they either knew about the contamination or that they should have known about it, and that can be difficult to do. In the case of a former homeowner, you may be out of luck, since among those many papers you signed at your closing was a disclaimer about future harm. Once the home is yours, in most cases the problems are all yours as well.

If you are able to locate the source of the contaminate, such as dangerous drinking water from a city, you may then proceed with the suit. Even then, you must prove that those responsible acted negligently by sending bad water to your home for your family to drink, either by carelessness or intentionally.

Who Should Pay?

Unfortunately, not all at-fault parties are made to pay or to even clean up the messes they've made. While some types of contamination and the clean up provisions are regulated by state and federal law, those laws do not always address the relatively small and personal issues with things like rampant mold growth or dirt that has a toxic salad underneath it.

What to Do

As soon as you know that you are the victim of property contamination, begin to document the damage, your physical and emotional injuries and keep good medical records. Whatever you do, do not neglect to get immediate medical treatment for any ill effects of your contaminated home. Next, immediately contact a personal injury attorney, such as those at  Littman & Babiarz Law Office. The sooner you have a professional on the case, the greater your chances of getting a successful settlement.