Melinda Ballard

Common card · No. 379965

Melinda Ballard (April 21, 1958 - June 2, 2013) was an American businesswoman and activist for insurance policyholders. In 1999, she sued her insurer over mold damage in her 22-room family home in Dripping Springs, Texas. Her three-year-old son, Reese Allison(1996-2021), developed an unexplained respiratory condition in March 1999. Her husband, Ron Allison (1970-2021), was later shown to have signs of Alzheimer's disease. On April 1, 1999, after the start of Ron and Reese‘s symptoms, Melinda took a Southwest Airlines flight and became ill, coughing up blood. Air-quality expert and investigator Bill Holder, who happened to be sitting in the adjacent seat, asked if there was a leak in their home which she confirmed. He speculated that her ill health could be due to a toxic species of mold in their 12,000 square foot home, which was based on the movie version of "Tara", the home of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. Their case started as a single claim for water damage and turned into...

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