Hilton sued over Kalia Tower mold

By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer

A Honolulu attorney is seeking hotel room rent refunds on behalf of all guests who stayed at Hilton Hawaiian Village's Kalia Tower before its rooms were closed last year because of mold.

Tom Grande filed the suit on Friday on behalf of a Florida resident, Jeff Moffett, who stayed at Kalia for 18 days last July with his wife and son.

Grande's lawsuit does not make any health-related claims. It said the Moffetts complained of damp sheets and asked on four occasions to be moved to a different room, but were given four different reasons why they could not be moved between July 8 and July 22.

On July 23, Hilton moved the Moffetts, the suit said, and the next day the hotel company publicly disclosed the mold problem and shut down all Kalia rooms.

Hilton said yesterday that it does not comment on pending litigation.

Grande's lawsuit alleges that Hilton knew of excessive and extensive mold growth in Kalia rooms "shortly after" the tower opened in May 2001.

Grande estimates that more than 10,000 Kalia guests could join the Moffetts as plaintiffs if a judge certifies class-action status being sought for the complaint.

Hilton has previously said it learned of the mold problem only in mid-2002 and that it took appropriate action to ensure the safety of guests and employees, including bringing in a Mainland mold investigation team during the week of July 7.

Peter Schall, Hilton Hawaiian Village's managing director, previously said Kalia rooms were removed from service as mold was discovered mostly on the underside of drawer bottoms.

During the stay of Jeff Moffett and his family, Hilton has acknowledged that more than 200 of the hotel's 453 rooms were closed.

"Hilton was deceptive to unsuspecting guests," Grande said in a statement. "Hilton management knew about the mold in the Kalia Tower, yet they continued to rent rooms. We think that these monies should be refunded."

Hilton is spending $55 million to repair Kalia, which cost $95 million to build. The company last month sued 18 contractors for their work that Hilton believes contributed to the mold growth.

The hotel is expected to reopen sometime between July and September.

Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8065.