Maggie Sieger. Galveston Daily News. May 25, 1995
Santa Fe-A woman evicted from her Santa Fe apartment after filing a complaint with the county health district has sued her former landlord.
Gulf Coast Legal Foundation attorneys filed suit in the 122nd District Court last month, claiming Tammy Tuttoilmondo was the victim of retaliatory eviction by her landlord, Max. D. Pool.
Pool, of Friendswood, denied the claims in the suit.
Pool said Tuttoilmondo and her family were evicted because of late rent payment and problems caused with the manager and other tenants.
“We had problems from the day they moved in,” Pool said. “She brought a pit bull and didn’t pay her second month’s rent on time.”
In the lawsuit, Tuttoilmondo’s attorney, Stephen C. McIntyre, claims the toilet frequently backed up into the bathtub and floor and that the water was discolored during the six months his client lived in the apartment at 1441 Pine St.
After the bathtub was unusable for three days in March, Tuttoilmondo complained to Pool, who did not respond, the lawsuit claims.
A day later, on March 14, Tuttoilmondo called the Galveston County Health District. A report filed by the county investigator shows the apartment manager, Betty Casey, attempted to unclog the toilet and “clean mess at front door.”
Casey “shoveled mud into ditch and poured bleach around the area to disinfect,” the report states.
The report, by investigator Nancy Guy, also states the tap water is “bad.”
She noted that the water quality issue was referred to Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission.
Guy stated in her report that Tuttoilmondo feared retaliation for reporting the problems.
Tuttoilmondo received an eviction notice April 1.
Pool said family members said they would be in residence three or four months when they moved in, but they were there for six.
“There are three other families in there and she’s the only one who had trouble,” he said.
Stephen C. McIntyre 