The latest documents filed in an ongoing legal dispute over mold in some Indiana University dorms claims university officials misled students about possible health complications.
The class action suit filed on behalf of some students who lived in the affected dorms accuses the university of negligence, fraud and deception for how it handled the situation.
Court documents claim IU knew about mold conditions in the dorms for several years, but failed to address the issue or warn incoming students.
Several students were displaced during the 2018-2019 school year after mold was discovered in dorms. IU cleaned hundreds of rooms and offered resources and compensation to affected students.
Two of the dorms that faced mold problems, McNutt and Foster are closed for renovations and won’t reopen until fall 2020.
The lawsuit claims the university sought to downplay the severity of the crisis by saying the outbreak was a result of a period of high humidity.
It also alleges IU encouraged university doctors at the campus health center not to inform students that their symptoms may be caused by exposure to mold. Instead, providers suggested alternative causes, like allergies.
An attorney first filed the class-action lawsuit on behalf of the students in November.
