The property management company that ran a mold-plagued public housing complex in Onslow County is blaming drug use for the tenants’ illnesses.
The operators of Holly Plaza, Pendergraph Management, filed a response late last week to the civil class action lawsuit filed by the low-income complex’s former residents.
The Town of Holly Ridge people out at the end of October after mold was discovered, and a few weeks late the town council voted to abandon repairs to the complex. City officials say mold was found in 42 of the 44 HVAC systems.
Pendergraph was named among the defendants in a civil suit because the company was contracted to operate the apartments.
Among other things, the response from Pendergraph said the tenants, “Contributed to their alleged illness by the use, either in whole or in part, of other substances, products, medications and/or drugs.”
They admit to getting complaints about water damage and mold dating back to the fall of 2022, and to sending employees and different contractors to fix the problem.
