Westmoreland president judge, husband sue Delmont storage company over damaged furniture
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway and her husband George Hathaway on Tuesday sued a Delmont self-storage facility for damage to furniture kept in a unit at the business.
According to the three-count lawsuit, Hathaway said she leased a unit at the StoreExpress indoor facility on Route 22 the day it opened for business in 2016. When her property was retrieved 15 months later, it was found to be scarred with water stains, mold and mildew and, as a result, had to be discarded. The damaged furniture was valued at $95,000, the Hathaways said in the court filing.
The lawsuit claimed StoreExpress erroneously advertised dry, clean and climate-controlled storage facilities and failed to notify the Hathaways about the water damage that occurred in their unit. According to the lawsuit, movers found efforts were made to conceal the damage when they arrived at the storage facility to relocate the Hathaway’s furniture to their new home in Murrysville.
“The plaintiffs believe and therefore aver that the defendant attempted to cover up the water and mold intrusion in the unit by entering the unit without permission and without notice … and placing therein air fresheners, dehumidifiers and fans,” according the lawsuit filed on their behalf by Greensburg attorney Jeff Monzo.
Steve Mitnick, president of StoreExpress, on Tuesday denied the allegations raised in the lawsuit.
Mitnick said his staff never entered the Hathaway’s storage unit and found no evidence water had gotten into the facility. His company’s offer to pay to repair the damaged furniture was rebuffed, he said.
“We had no problems with anybody else’s units around there, and we weren’t permitted to attempt to save their furniture. It’s a little frustrating,” Mitnick said.
The Hathaways are seeking damages from the company that total three times the value of the furniture.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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