Court Declines to Find Mold Injury Barred by Pollution Exclusion

SANTA ANA, Calif. - A California appellate court has affirmed insurance coverage for personal injury claims by tenants who claimed they became ill because of exposure to mold. Johnson v. Clarendon National Insurance Co., No. 05CC10891 (Calif. Ct. App., 4th Dist.).

California's Fourth Appellate District said in an unpublished opinion on Feb. 4 that a pollution exclusion in a policy issued to Carol Johnson's landlord did not bar coverage for claims by Johnson and her three children.

Johnson alleged in a personal injury lawsuit that she and her children were subject to water leaks and mold beginning in 1998 in …