Architects, Engineers, and Contractors Found Not Guilty in Sick Building Case

A jury in DuPage County, Illinois ruled on December 30, 1994 that the architects, engineers, and general contractor were not responsible for the extreme case of sick building syndrome experienced in the County’s new courthouse. While the County blamed faulty design and installation for the problems, the jury found that it was poor operation and maintenance of the building’s HVAC system that caused several hundred employees to suffer from various symptoms. Two weeks after the verdict was reached settlement was achieved in a separate personal injury lawsuit filed by 125 courthouse employees. Terms of the settlement were not released, but it was declared “reasonable” by the architects, Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK) of St. Louis, Missouri.