Homeowner Sues Illinois Farmers for Mold-Related Bad Faith

CHICAGO - An Illinois homeowner has sued insurer Illinois Farmers Insurance Company for breach of contract and fraud concerning its alleged bad faith refusal to cover the "toxigenic mold" contamination of her Evanston, Ill., home. Toni Bark v. Illinois Farmers Insurance Company, No. 02-L-5553 (Ill. Cir. Ct., Cook County).

According to a complaint filed May 2 in Cook County Circuit Court, a water heater pipe breach inside the home of Toni Bark on Dec. 25, 1999, caused interior water damage that resulted in microbial contamination of Bark's home, household goods and personal property.

Bark allegedly reported the water and mold …