Judge: Tenant Must Pay $500,000 for Terminating Lease

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A judge in Pennsylvania has awarded nearly $500,000 to the owner of a building that was vacated by a school district tenant after it was discovered that the building was contaminated with mold. Hirsh v. Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit #21, No. 2002-C-2043 (Pa. Comm. Pls., Lehigh Cty.).

Following a bench trial on Dec. 5, Judge Alan M. Black of the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas determined that the mold contamination was not a valid reason for Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit School District's decision to vacate the premises, thereby breaking its lease with building owner Steven Hirsh.