SAN ANTONIO — One of the defendants in a trial over mold-infested military housing took the stand on Wednesday.
Multiple families are suing Hunt Military Housing, alleging the company didn't fulfill its lease obligations by not properly addressing mold and structural issues in homes at JBSA Randolph.
Today, Michael Knight took the stand. He was asked several questions by attorneys about the work done inside the Vinales home.
Knight was regional maintenance director for the company AETC II Privatized Housing—which operates hunt military communities. The landlords leased historic homes to military families on JBSA Randolph and Laughlin Air Force Base.
US Army Lt. Col. Shane Vinales and his wife Becky complained of a moldy carpet when they moved in October 2017.
According to Knight’s testimony—that carpet wasn’t removed until March 2018, although under Hunt’s own mold remediation policies—the carpet would be deemed an emergency.
A work order was never placed in the system by maintenance staff, according to testimony.
The Vinales family were one of many residents who complained of similar issues in their homes.
When plaintiff’s attorneys asked if the Vinales home had a problem with mold—he wouldn’t outright admit it, simply stating they began responding immediately to the Vinales’ issues.
Knight also implies the Vinales family interfered—when a mold remediation was done on their home in spring 2019, saying the Vinales “stopped us from doing the work.” He alleges this was due to the Vinales impending move back to Hawaii, and she allegedly wanted her husband to be home.
After a six-day decontamination—all items were deemed clean except for four. But, the plaintiffs argue the home wasn’t properly secured during the decontamination. Lt. Col. Vinales testified on Tuesday it looked like a tornado went through their home when he re-entered it.
The Vinales family says mold like this could still be found on their belongings when they moved overseas.
The defendant’s attorneys will get a chance to question Knight during Thursday’s testimony.