After an asbestos remediation went catastrophically wrong and exposed her and her young daughter to mesothelioma-causing fibers for months, a single mother and cancer nurse has filed a million-dollar lawsuit, seeking compensation from multiple companies that damaged her home, created a health risk, and abandoned her family.
Botched Water Damage Response Leads to Mesothelioma Risk
According to WXYZ ABC Detroit, the ordeal began in March of 2022, when Michigan resident Cody Huseman and her daughter returned home from school and found a waterfall pouring through their kitchen. A veteran, Cody called USAA insurance, which directed her to MJ White & Son in Novi for repairs. That company’s crews cut into walls, removed wet drywall, and set up industrial fans, all without first conducting required asbestos testing.
In recalling the conditions that gave rise to her mesothelioma concerns, Huseman said, “There was just a lot of dust. And I remember asking them, ‘Is it okay for us to be in here?'” She says she was told it was safe. The eight weeks that the fans ran far exceeded the typical amount of time needed for a residential water damage drying period, and she and her daughter lived in the home the whole time, with the dust circulating all around them.
Testing Revealed Significant Asbestos Fiber and Mesothelioma Risk
The mesothelioma danger was discovered in April 2022, when USAA responded to Huseman’s concern over her home still being wet by telling her to hire another company. She called Restoration 1 of Hartland, whose employees discovered mold and asked for the asbestos reports that had been done. Huseman says she had “no idea what they were talking about”—no testing had been conducted despite contractors disturbing building materials. In May, San-Air Testing, confirmed the presence of both mold and airborne asbestos. This meant that Huseman and her daughter had been breathing mesothelioma-causing fibers for nearly two months.
In June, Global Green was brought in for asbestos abatement and declared the home safe, but a subsequent inspection revealed that the family home was still contaminated and a mesothelioma risk. The company’s report found air levels “right at the clearance threshold” weeks after abatement, and a representative said, “If Cody and her daughter were breathing that air every day, that’s a significant exposure over time.”
Mesothelioma Latency Period Creates Lifelong Fear
Now Huseman and her young daughter face decades of uncertainty and fear over the potential for being diagnosed with mesothelioma. The rare asbestos-related disease has an extended latency period that means it typically doesn’t develop until 20 to 50 years after exposure. “All I could think about was my little girl—and how long we had been breathing that air,” Huseman said. The family now lives in temporary housing while paying the mortgage on their contaminated home, with USAA having cut off lodging coverage, claiming “asbestos wasn’t covered.”
Huseman’s attorney estimates losses exceeding one million dollars from the contamination nightmare, saying, “One simple step—testing the walls before remediation—could have prevented all of this.” He also noted that conducting the required asbestos testing before disturbing the home’s materials would have avoided exposing the child to the mesothelioma-causing fibers. The family’s lawsuit names USAA, Restoration 1, MJ White & Son, and Global Green, and is currently stayed pending appeals, leaving the mother and daughter displaced while facing lifelong fear of a deadly diagnosis in the future.
If you or someone you love has been exposed to asbestos and diagnosed with mesothelioma, you need help with specialized knowledge. Contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net at 1-800-692-8608 today.
