COLUMBUS, Ohio — A state-court lawsuit alleges that more than 50 first-year Ohio State University students were sickened by a mold infestation in the premium “Rate 1” Lawrence Tower dormitory during the fall 2024 semester — a problem the suit alleges the university knew about but did not disclose.
“The excitement of the first semester of college — new school, new friends, and academic aspirations — was soon replaced by consistent coughs, brain fog, and other respiratory symptoms they could not easily shake,” the lawsuit states. “Mushrooms began growing out of Lawrence Tower walls, and the mold issues became undeniable. Students began to suspect what was making them sick: unsafe air. Once the wallpaper began separating from walls to reveal black, yellow, and even purple mold.” Independent testing by students and parents confirmed mold in November 2024.
According to the suit, the building — a former hotel acquired by the university in 2009 — underwent renovations that were completed in as few as two months instead of the expected two years, with little or no remediation of known mold and asbestos issues at the property. The university is accused of negligence, breach of implied warranty of habitability, nuisance, and fraud. The case is Jack Barga, et al. v. The Ohio State University, filed in the Court of Claims in Columbus.
Plaintiffs are represented by Jedidiah I. Bressman and David A. Bressman of Bressman Law (Dublin, Ohio) and Kristina S. Baehr of Just Well Law, PLLC (Austin, Texas). Published January 13, 2025. Read the full press release.