Photo courtesy of Stutterstock.com

A major player in the sky has been accused of neglecting his responsibilities below.

A complaint filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court accuses AeroThrust Holdings LLC CEO Mario Abad — along with his wife, Claudia, property management company MGC Group Corp., and air conditioning maintenance business Frioclima Corp. — of allowing one of his properties to fall into disrepair, resulting in the spread of toxic mold around his condo and subsequent health problems for its occupants.

“Mario Abad … willfully, wantonly, intentionally and recklessly conspired to hide the truth about the HVAC system by, among other things, painting over the mold throughout the air ducts, rather than have it remediated,” the complaint said. Included among the nine counts listed in the lawsuit are charges of fraudulent misrepresentation, negligence and breach of implied contract.

The plaintiff is Venus Lacalamita, a personal trainer who'd rented the Silver Palms at Dadeland property from Abad, only to discover he was unresponsive to her concerns, according to the complaint. She signed a one-year lease in April 2016 for a condominium that Abad and his wife purchased in January 2005. Lacalamita claimed she moved in with her 11-year-old son, but by April 2018, the mold in the condo had spread to her clothes and other personal belongings.

Attorney J.B. Harris. Courtesy photo

Plaintiff counsel, Coral Gables attorney Jonathan B. Harris, described his client's plight as “a cautionary tale.”

“The property itself was so hazardous, smelled so bad and [toxic mold] permeated everything — the walls, the ceiling, the floors, the furniture, her clothes. She lost everything and he didn't do anything to fix it,” Harris said. “The mold was 5 inches thick within the ducts, and all he did was have his maintenance guy go in and spray paint over the mold.”

Abad's attorneys, Joseph Klock with Coral Gables firm Rasco Klock and David M. McDonald of McDonald & McDonald, did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

Read the lawsuit: 

Harris described Abad's company, AeroThrust Holdings, as ”one of the largest jet engine maintenance companies within the state of Florida.” The business is headquartered at Miami International Airport and offers engine repair among its myriad services, according to an Aviation Week bio on Abad.

“If he maintains the jet engines he's charged with servicing as well as he does his rental properties, I fear for the general public,” Harris said. The attorney claimed Abad also had inappropriate conversations with Lacalamita, asking about her age with the intention of setting up his tenant romantically with his much-younger son — a charge Abad denies.

“Tenants should know what their rights are and should be very careful before getting into leases, especially when dealing with absentee landlords,” Harris said. “He said he didn't know anything about A/C and heating systems, and his agents who were supposed to maintain these systems just ignored their obligations.”

Lacalamita's suit is seeking to recover for the loss of her personal belongings, as well as damages for pain and suffering.

Related stories:

Tenant Exposed to Toxic Mold Gets $250,000 Settlement

Danger Inside: Children are Falling Sick at This South Florida Property

City Faces No Liability in Apartment Mold Dispute