Lawsuit claims state lawmaker fired chief of staff over office mold concerns

GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) - A local state representative is facing a federal whistle-blower lawsuit from his former chief of staff.

A woman named Marcel Nichol Ingram brought the lawsuit, claiming Rep. Eric Davanzo ignored her pleas to address mold in his West Newton office then fired her after she actually bought tests proving the alleged presence of dangerous mold.

Filed in federal court in Pittsburgh, the 19-page lawsuit claims that Nikki Ingram first noticed a strong smell that burned her eyes and made it difficult to breathe inside the state representative's Water Street office in May of this year. 

According to the lawsuit, Ingram claims Davanzo first blamed a laundry mat next door for the problems. Believing it to be something else, Ingram bought several mold tests that allegedly showed the presence of potentially dangerous mold.

"Once the test came back with a toxic form of black mold, she reported it to Rep. Davanzo and a week later she was fired," said Ingram's attorney Nicholas Kennedy.

"She did notify her superiors and was notified, 'you should take mold tests' and that's what she told Davanzo about that, that's when he profanely responded to her," Ingram added. "Shortly thereafter, she was fired."

Several members of the House Republican caucus are also named in the lawsuit

KDKA reached out to Davanzo's office for a comment but didn't hear back by airtime.