A whiff and a miss — Landlord strikes out

Something to grouse about, for sure.

GREENWICH — A former New York Yankees third baseman won a jury verdict expected to total about $500,000 after suing his landlord for mold problems, pests and other issues in a leased Greenwich mansion.

Josh Donaldson filed the federal suit against the Lake Avenue property owner, Bill Grous, in 2022 after paying a $110,000 security deposit and leasing the 4,480-square-foot home for $55,000 per month. The jury in U.S. District Court in Connecticut issued its verdict Wednesday.

Now retired, the three-time All Star and American League Most Valuable Player in 2015 had been traded to the Yankees from the Minnesota Twins in March 2022. Donaldson and his partner, who was six months pregnant, and their 17-month-old daughter moved into the Greenwich house in April, the complaint says.

The house sits on about 4-1/2 acres, has five bedrooms and 4-1/2 baths and is appraised at about $2.4 million, according to court documents and the Greenwich assessor. [But it sold to Grous for $3.325 million in 2005 — Ed]

However, instead of the luxury home Donaldson and his partner expected, the house was rife with problems, including an ant infestation throughout the main floor, non-working showers, broken toilets, an "unsightly, unusable pool" littered with shards of tile and concrete from a botched repair job, and an infiltration of squirrels nesting above the ceiling in one bedroom, the complaint said.

Shortly after moving in, Donaldson's partner and their daughter both developed lung congestion and lingering coughs, the suit said. An environmental testing company's inspection on April 19 revealed "an extensive and widespread infestation" of chaetomium and aspergillus mold, both of which can cause serious health problems, the complaint said.

Donaldson, through his lawyer, demanded that Grous immediately return the home to "a fit and livable condition," the suit said. The landlord, however, did not fix the mold infestation and the lease was terminated in May, the complaint said. Grous refused to return the security deposit, which led Donaldson to seek relief in court, according to the suit.

The jury verdict issued Wednesday totaled about $331,000, including $82,393.76 for costs for substitute housing, moving, transportation and other expenses, $220,000 for the security deposit (the $110,000 that Donaldson paid is doubled under Connecticut law), $1,341.87 for out-of-pocket expenses and $27,500 for emotional harm, according to the verdict form.

Donaldson's attorney, Craig Cepler, said Friday that he anticipated a judge would award in excess of $170,000 in legal expenses, which would bring the total to about $500,000.

"We're evaluating an appeal," Grous' attorney, Philip Russell, said Friday ….

I’d say the jury has already evaluated the defendant’s appeal, and found it lacking.