SALINAS - Nose bleeds, itchy eyes, and breathing problems all because of mold inside a county building during a period of at least 10 years.
Now, Monterey county workers claim they are sick because of it and want someone to pay.
It's turned into a legal nightmare with every side blaming someone else.
The Monterey county building that used to be the county's Fraud Unit is where nine employees claim they got sick from mold.
It all started back in 2002 when a leaking pipe caused flooding, according to William Litt, deputy county counsel for the County of Monterey.
When the county hired a company to deal with it, mold was discovered.
But then four years later, in 2006, the county had the building tested again for mold because people said it smelled funny inside.
The county said the company found some mold, but said it was normal and it wasn't anything dangerous.
Then, again, in May 2008 several employees issued complaints, saying they had health issues related to the mold.
So then the building was tested again.
Everything seemed fine, but a month later the same company found a mold issue.
The county cleared the building until March of 2009 while it was being tested and treated for mold.
Employees are now suing the building's landlords and the two construction companies who did the inspections and repairs.
The landlords and Monterey county are suing each other and the county's also suing the construction companies.
Oct. 29 is the trial date.
Five of the employees in the lawsuit have retired, while the other four are current employees with the county.
