Suit: Tenants of Chicago condo were exposed to toxic sewer gas for years

A Chicago woman is suing a condo association and others, claiming their failure to repair an exhaust pipe caused her and other tenants to be exposed to toxic sewer gas for four years.

Maureen R. Filetti filed suit Feb. 10 in Cook County Circuit Court against Sandburg Village Home Owners Association Inc., Carl Sandburg Village Home Owners Association No. 7, also known as James/Kilmer Condominium Association, Draper and Kramer Inc. and Lake Cook Plumbing Service Inc.

According to the complaint, Filetti, who lived in a unit in a building at 1560 N. Sandburg Terrace, detected an odor coming from her master bathroom on Feb. 11, 2013 and reported it to the association. She claims a repairman was sent to her unit the same day, when he cut a hole into the wall, discovered a broken exhaust pipe and temporarily covered the hole with plastic.

The plastic cover, however, blew off, exposing Filetti to elevated levels of sewer gas, the suit states, adding that the exposure caused her to seek medical attention. She alleges it was later learned the main source of the gas leak was from a pipe in the basement and that it had not been repaired for at a period of at least four years.

Filetti accuses the defendants of failing to properly inspect, maintain or repair the problem or warn residents about the dangerous condition.

She seeks damages in excess of $50,000, plus attorney fees and costs, and is represented by attorney Jason Sherwood of Sherwood Law Group in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2015-L-001384.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note that a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and represents only one side of the story.