When our client’s condominium flooded because of a construction crew’s mistake, the contractor responsible tried to walk away from the damage it caused for less than $ 30,000. A Palm Beach County jury didn’t let that happen. After a full trial, the jury returned a verdict of approximately $364,000 in favor of our client and against CA Lindman of South Florida, the contractor whose crew broke a water pipe during exterior balcony construction — flooding the unit and triggering a mold contamination that upended our client’s home. With statutory interest added, the final judgment totaled over $450,000.

The Mold Lawyers are proud to have taken this case all the way to verdict, holding a negligent contractor fully accountable for the damage it left behind.

The Incident: A Routine Construction Job Turns Into a Flood

The case began with balcony construction work that should have been straightforward. Instead, workers with CA Lindman of South Florida broke a water pipe during the exterior renovation. Water poured into the Plaintiff’s condominium, saturating drywall, flooring, and personal belongings.

Left unaddressed, water intrusion of this kind creates exactly the conditions mold needs to take hold — and that’s precisely what happened. Within a short time, mold began growing in the wall cavity of the unit, turning a construction accident into a full-blown habitability crisis.

The Legal Battle: Overcoming the Contractor’s Defenses

CA Lindman of South Florida didn’t dispute that its crew broke the pipe. Instead, at trial, the defense tried two strategies to avoid paying for the mold damage that followed:

1. “The broken pipe didn’t cause the mold.” The defense argued that the water intrusion from the break wasn’t the actual cause of the mold growth found in the unit — attempting to sever the connection between its admitted negligence and the contamination that resulted.
2. “Our dryout efforts were good enough.” The defense also claimed that its initial remediation and drying efforts after the flood were sufficient, and that mold simply could not have developed if those efforts had been followed.

The Mold Lawyers built a case around the science of water intrusion and mold growth, the documented timeline of the flood and remediation response, and the real-world condition of the unit — walking the jury through why a broken pipe left improperly dried is a direct and foreseeable path to mold contamination. The jury rejected both defense theories and found in favor of the Plaintiff, awarding him approximately $364,000.

The Verdict

Following trial in the Circuit Court for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach County, Florida, the jury returned a verdict of approximately $364,000 for our client. With approximately $90,000 in statutory interest added, the court entered a final judgment of $450,000. The verdict confirms what The Mold Lawyers argued from the outset: a contractor that damages a home during construction work is responsible not just for the initial water intrusion, but for the mold growth that predictably follows when that water isn’t properly remediated.

What This Case Means for Florida Homeowners and Condo Owners

Construction-related water intrusion is one of the most common — and most commonly disputed — causes of residential mold contamination in Florida. Contractors and their insurers routinely argue that a flood didn’t “really” cause the mold, or that their cleanup was adequate even when mold later appears. This verdict shows that those defenses can be overcome with the right evidence and the right trial team.

If a contractor’s negligence has flooded your home or condo — whether from a broken pipe, a botched renovation, or inadequate or non-water-tight building envelopes — and mold has since developed, you may be entitled to compensation for property damage, remediation costs, loss of use of the home, and related losses.

Contact The Mold Lawyers

The Mold Lawyers, based in Plantation, Florida with additional offices in Sarasota, Florida represent homeowners and condo owners across the state in mold, water intrusion, and habitability litigation — from pre-suit negotiations through jury trial. If construction defects or contractor negligence caused water damage and mold in your home, contact The Mold Lawyers today for a free case review.