Donning a face mask for protection, Lauren Stephenson pointed to new wood installed along the baseboard of her kitchen cabinets, one of several spots where black mold has been growing inside her apartment at Jefferson Pointe in Prince George County. Other spores sprouted inside cabinets, along windowsills and the doorframe to enter her residence. Signs of leaking water were visible along the ceiling.
The persistent mold spores — and the apartment management’s apparent lack of proper remediation — are at the center of a lawsuit Stephenson has filed with the help of a former Virginia legislator that spotlights how state law protects tenants from living conditions that threaten their health.
It isn’t uncommon for Stephenson to have breathing issues, since she’s dealt with asthma throughout her life, she said. But the onset of chronic headaches last December, more severe breathing issues and flu-like symptoms, along with skin rashes on her baby son Brycen prompted a hospital and specialist visit.
As an infant unable to speak, she said he couldn’t tell her when “something was wrong,” and the fact that he was sick alongside her “really bothers me,” she said, her voice cracking briefly.
Testing from a pulmonologist eventually confirmed mold exposure. Despite filing work orders and sending other notification of the diagnosis stemming from mold to her rental property’s office, Stephenson eventually had to pack or discard most of her belongings and move in with her parents. She still pays her $1,300 per month rent, she said.
And now she’s filed a lawsuit. Former Republican state delegate Tim Anderson is representing Stephenson’s case, filed in Prince George County Circuit Court, which is seeking a court trial.
Stephenson’s on-site property management declined to comment on the pending litigation, as did the Florida-based realty firm that oversees it.
Mold spore growth along the doorframe to enter Lauren Stephenson’s apartment on March 17, 2025. Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods / Virginia Mercury
The filing outlines how Stephenson submitted a work order to her landlord in early December inquiring if something could be done about mold she’d spotted in her home. Allegedly no action was taken until February when she reported that the baseboard beneath her kitchen sink appeared rotted from water damage and that she saw black mold behind it.
The case cites state law, the Virginia Landlord Residential and Tenant Act, which outlines the rights and obligations for landlords and renters in Virginia. On mold specifically, it requires that landlords promptly remediate reports of its presence using professional standards of guidance documents published by various U.S. health, housing and environmental departments. Tenants are also supposed to receive copies of paperwork regarding the remediation.
But instead, Anderson said, “They take some wood and they literally boarded up over the black mold, like ‘ah, problem solved.’”
The apartment’s walls were also painted with a coat of Kilz, which is a primer paint meant to prevent mold from forming in the first place.
By this point, Stephenson left her apartment at the recommendation of her doctor. Stephenson said she shared a doctor’s note advising such with her landlord in an attempt to break her lease early to no avail.
A state law that was signed last year makes it a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act to sell or offer services as a professional mold remediator to residential dwelling units without certification from the Institute of Inspection, Clearing and Restoration Certification. It’s unclear if mold remediation services done at Stephenson’s apartment were performed by a company holding such certification.
Stephenson is “grateful” that she had somewhere to go when her home became unsafe. But medical bills and continuing to pay rent on a home she can’t live in is a challenge. She wouldn’t be able to afford another apartment while paying for her current one.
Her lawsuit seeks $2 million in compensatory damages, legal fees and reimbursement for rent paid during March, April and May of this year.
Given the signs of water damage and the mold remediation issues Stephenson experienced, she wonders if any of her neighbors might be having similar problems and what the source of the mold might be.
“I feel bad if other people are suffering as I have,” she said. “We don’t deserve to pay thousands of dollars to live somewhere that’s toxic for our health.”
Mold has been a major concern for residents in several Virginia localities in recent years, including in Virginia Beach, Herndon and Henrico County. Tenants who suspect they may be living with mold should contact their apartment managers and may find more information and resources through the Virginia Office of the Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection at 804-786-2042 or 1-800-552-9963.
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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
www.youtube.com – 13News Now – 2025-04-19 06:29:35
SUMMARY: This Saturday morning brings a beautiful weekend, especially for Easter celebrations, with highs in the upper 80s. Southwest breezes, gusting to 25 miles per hour, push temperatures well above average, starting in the upper 50s to middle 60s. Expect mostly sunny skies and warm conditions, ideal for beach outings, despite chilly water temperatures. Easter Sunday will start mild, but a backdoor cold front will cause temperatures to drop in the afternoon with increasing cloud cover and potential rain. Multiple rounds of rain are forecasted for the upcoming week, with temperatures returning to seasonal averages by the latter part of the week.
Despite a front dropping through the area Sunday, it will be a nice weekend in Hampton Roads.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-18 11:38:00
(The Center Square) – Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earles-Sears accuses her Democratic opponent for governor, Abigail Spanberger of hiding a trust; Spanberger says it only holds her home—and ethics experts say she may not have needed to report it.
The Dispute centers on a home Spanberger and her husband placed in a trust in 2017, which her campaign says produced no income and was legally exempt from disclosure.
With both women vying to become Virginia’s first female governor, the accusation has quickly turned into a fight over ethics, transparency and what voters expect from their candidates.
“Members of Congress do not need to report assets from a non-income producing trust where they are an administrator that does not receive income or have any beneficial interest in the trust,” said Delaney Marsco, ethics director at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.
“Personal residences that do not earn income are not required to be disclosed,” a campaign spokesperson said, “so Abigail did not disclose her family’s only home—as doing so would make their home address publicly available.”
They added that when the home was placed in a trust, “Abigail filed her disclosures in accordance with House ethics rules, which do not require her to disclose her role as a trustee of a living trust holding only her family’s home.”
Earle-Sears has publicly slammed Spanberger on social media, accusing her of “dodging tough questions” and “hiding a $900,000 trust fund.”
“She’s a typical politician,” Earle-Sears wrote in apost on X, questioning whether Virginians can trust Spanberger if she’s “willing to lie about this.”
The Earle-Sears campaign did not respond to a request for comment beyond public posts.
The accusation signals an early campaign strategy from Earle-Sears, who has so far leaned into sharp, combative messaging to define Spanberger as the race for the governor’s mansion heats up.
Under House ethics rules, members of Congressare not requiredto disclose personal residences or non-income-producing assets held in a trust as long as they receive no financial benefit. They must report liabilities such as mortgages and disclose trustee roles only if the position involves an organization or generates income.
Virginia requires statewide candidates to file a Statement of Economic Interests, but similar to federal rules, personal residencesare typically exemptif they don’t produce income. The state form focuses on business ties, investments and income sources—leaving out non-commercial trusts like the one Spanberger’s team says holds her home.
www.youtube.com – 13News Now – 2025-04-18 06:11:37
SUMMARY: The weather forecast for the upcoming days shows temperatures above average, with highs reaching 79°F today and possibly 86°F tomorrow. Sunday will remain warm with temperatures in the upper 70s, but a backdoor front may cause a slight afternoon cool down. Easter Sunday will see dry conditions in the morning but potential severe storms in the Midwest. Monday will be mild, but showers and storms are expected Tuesday through Thursday. By Friday, conditions should improve, with temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s as the week ends. Skies will be mostly clear today, with light winds from the south.
