Gist:
My parents, 7 younger siblings, and I  have been displaced from our home due to the gross negligence of the landlord causing flooding and extreme levels of allergenic mold, which caused such health issues that 5 of my siblings were moved in  to stay with my older sister in VA.
The pandemic crisis has complicated it further due to restrictive access to legal protections, most especially the civil court system.  
 



My name is Autumn, and  I am reaching out on behalf of my parents Fred and Clare West, myself, and 7 of my 9 (soon to be 10) siblings at home. As a high school senior during this unexpected pandemic, it has already been a tumultuous year. However,  overshadowing the disappointments of not having prom, graduation, or an opportunity to make final memories this year with  friends,  for the past 5 months my family's life has been turned upside down due to an excessive water leak in the basement of our rental and the excessive mold that came as a result.

Because of this, my parents have had to find temporary living conditions for half of the family here in Tennessee so that they can work and protect our basic belongings from the landlord, while my 5 youngest siblings have had to move in with my older sister and our future in law family in Virginia for the last few weeks, with no immediate end in sight. 

Unbeknownst to my parents, the landlord commissioned unqualified contractors to expand their rental by 2 bedrooms and a bathroom right before we moved in 10 months ago.

Unfortunately, due to their lack of qualifications, the work was never permitted, inspected, or even installed to code, and the result has caused nothing but problems. The contractors neglected basic things like traps, vents, and even left a pipe without a cap which is what caused the excessive leak from the kitchen sink to the downstairs bathroom. After 5 months of leaking and no fixes, my father demanded that the landlord secure qualified contractors to bring the additions up to code, because the water had turned from clear to black and anyone who was cleaning it every night it happened started clearly exhibiting health challenges. Out of fear that the family may have suffered from exposure to mold, bacteria or fungus, my father had professionals test the contaminated structure  and air quality. The test came back with a mold exposure 89 times the recommended amount for a healthy adult, and at far worse numbers for the kids who were living in the additional rooms.
Equipped with this information, my father approached the landlord, and not only has his response been unsupportive, but he has provided no help for our temporary housing, no urgency to repair the property, has even towed one of our cars from the property, and tried to move all our stuff from the home even though they were paid up for the month. They have already sought out legal representation, and once their attorney approves the disclosure, I will be sharing the communications, including the multiple attempts my father took to settle this crisis, and the unbelievable responses my father got from him. This entire crisis has left my family displaced and in a constant state of stress as a result of being separated so long. 


At this point, in addition to having paid for the rental through mid May, my father has had to spend THOUSANDS of dollars for the testing, the temporary housing, and legal protection.
Most unfortunately, the landlord has taken full advantage of the current COVID 19 pandemic crisis, which has all courts delayed and/or shut down, hearing only severe criminal cases. 


What my parents need at a minimum to get the family back together, fully secure legal representation, and cover the unexpected and mounting expenses that have come as a result of this crisis is $12,000.
Their attorney is eager to get started once the courts open up, and has already said that he hasn’t seen anything like this in his more than 30 yrs of practicing law.

Additionally, due to the vicious nature of the landlord, their actual damages may be in excess of over $40,000 when all is said and done, not to mention the mental stress suffered by my 29 week pregnant mother, my father who has had bear the burden of all the communications and still support the family, and my siblings including the 13,12,6,4, and 3 year old who are currently living in Virginia, and have showed signs of regression in their temperament and behavior including potty training regression in my youngest brother.
Watching my parents go through this, after knowing how many people they have helped over the years (and continue to help, even during this crisis) is unbearable. 


Even a dollar towards this cause would be a blessing, but at the very least, your willingness for prayer and sharing would be an unmeasurable gift. 




I will keep you updated as I can every few days, thank you so much and God bless! 







DISCLAIMER: My parents have made it clear that they have been advised by their attorney to discourage any and all communication and/or harassment towards the landlord. Any form of communication may compromise the outcome of their lawsuit, so please refrain from ANY efforts to expose him. After the lawsuit is filed and over with, my parents are willing to provide a link to the judgement and any supporting documentation that was presented as evidence. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING!