Woman blames trailer owners for sewage

CHARLESTON - A Charleston woman says a clog in the piping of a mobile home she is renting caused sewage to be backed into it and is suing its owners.

Robin Tabor filed her lawsuit Nov. 30 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Charles Slack Jr., Nancy Bibb and Doris Slack.

Tabor says she lost several days of work, was caused to spend approximately $2,500 in motel bills and seeks compensation.

On Sept. 28, Tabor says she "experienced a backup of raw sewage in her bathtub and toilet." Maintenance staff members at Airport Mobile Home Court told her the repairs had been made, the complaint says, but a backup again occurred two days later.

She says the sewage was "completely overflowing in her bathroom, causing extensive damage, covering her floors and fixtures in addition to airborne pollution which has permeated her mobile home."

At a cost of $349, she says she hired Mullens Plumbing determined there was a clog in her main sewer line caused by the improperly installed connections between two types of pipes. The plumbers also told her that the line had previously been clogged three times, the complaint adds.

Tabor says she has been evicted and also racked up restaurant bills because she was unable to cook her own meals while forced to live in a motel.

Sissonville attorney Walton Shepherd III is representing Tabor, who also seeks punitive damages.

Tabor adds that she lost $160 per day for five days as a result of not being able to work at West Virginia State University.

Judge Paul Zakaib has been assigned the case.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 06-C-2558