AUSTIN, Texas - The Lewis, Johnson and Burn military families in North Carolina filed a lawsuit Sept. 25 against the private companies that manage housing at Camp Lejeune. The military families claim Lendlease Group, an Australia-based firm, and its partner, WinnCompanies, based in Boston, put profits before maintenance, and the families’ homes were plagued with mold growth and water leaks, and maintenance crews were either unwilling or unqualified to repair. The claims are similar to those made by other military families living on0 bases across the country, and who have filed lawsuits to combat poor housing conditions despite pledges from private companies, DoD and Congress to make base housing safe and habitable a top priority. The extent of the poor quality of housing in the military first surfaced two years ago. There are at least eight ongoing lawsuits in courts nationwide filed by residents of military housing. Nine families at Fort Hood, Texas, also filed a lawsuit against Lendlease in June. Other bases where the private housing companies face ongoing litigation include MacDill AFB, Fla., Fort Bragg, N.C., Randolph AFB, Texas, and Fort Meade, Md. At least two cases related to mold in military housing have seen their day in court, nearly all remain in the pretrial phase, which may take years. The 70-page complaint filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina outlines the stories of the three families who moved into base housing at Camp Lejeune between August 2015 and October 2019. It seeks damages as well as non-monetary reforms to leasing practices. (Source: Stars and Stripes 09/24/20)
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