METH HOME PURCHASED UNKNOWINGLY

My wife and i recently purchased a used home. The Seller had given us verbal directions to go a view the property on Sept 1 of 2008. after explaining how to locate the said property in quite detail my wife and i proceeded to view it. It was well maintained on the exterior and since it was currently occupied we decided not to enter. We made the decison to purchase the property based on that visit , and the promise of new carpet /paint. This purchase was a contract purchase.(seller and buyer only, no realtor)
Upon arriving to our new home we learned that he had shown us a completely different home. In a panic, we decided that we had better accept this because we had no where else to go. Here we are standing in the driveway , a moving truck behind and these previouse tenants are still living there. They had been given a two day notice to evacuate from the seller. The seller hires a mover to force the people to move their belongings in the front yard. Where it stayed for two weeks. The house had been lived in without utilities/water for several months. They are known Meth users and openly admit to using meth inside the premisis that we have just purchased. Their children are currently in foster care due to thier drug usage at this address. My question is , if i decide to take legal action what would damages consist of? Would it include relocation expenses and compensation for my children whom I feel have been placed in danger by the seller? The drug users are known and openly admit meth usage and production. They recieved a settlement from a work injury they admit to spending 25,000.00 on meth in under a two month period. Family members of the drug users have come forth to warn us about the inside of our home.Any advice would be helpfull. We are young parents and simply dont know what to do.
. Was the seller not responsible to disclose to us that convicted meth users/producers occupied the property. The front and rear door at some point has been ripped from the hinges due to police entry and seizure of suspected meth activity. The landlord was notified after the seizure and was expected to obtain a decontamination certificate from the state to resell or re-rent the property. He never did anything but run advertisement to resell. I have read online about the symptoms and side effects of exposure to chemicals related to meth usage and production. What i am wanting to know is : is this worth persuing. We live check to check and cant afford to move outright. That will certainly take a few months of saving . In the mean time...what to do. What would you do if your kids were moved unknowingly into a dangerouse chemical environment.
We have been looking for an attorney to help us with this situation but havent had any luck.

I have to tell you, you made a series of incredible blunders in how you bought this house. If you haven't figured them out by now, let me know and I'll be glad to list them.

Where your are at now is a large part your own fault.

But, yes, the seller was probably responsible for disclosing the meth lab and his actions could rise to the level of fraud if he sent you to look at the wrong house.

The question is: What can you do about it.

You can sue for your money back and any consequential monetary damages you suffer.

But you'll need an attorney for that. And attorneys don't work for free. You are having trouble finding one because you have no money to pay one.

Even if you were successful in a lawsuit you wouldn't get anything for anything that didn't happen. Feeling that your children are in danager doesn't get you a nickel unless something happens to them. And if YOU move them into the house knowing that they could be exposed to contamination than the results are your responsibility and not the sellers. You are responsible for protecting yourself against known hazards. If somebody sells you a house with a bomb in the middle of the living room, that's their fault. But if you don't walk out as soon as you seen the bomb, then it's your fault if you get blown up.

A better alternative for you might be to move in with relatives temporarily and figure out how to pay for a hazardous materials company to do a clean up before you move in and then get the house livable so you can move into it.

At that point you might have an easier time just suing for the actual costs you incurred to remedy the condition.

"In a panic, we decided that we had better accept this because we had no where else to go."

How about driving to a lawyers ofice immediately?

"They are known Meth users and openly admit to using meth inside the premisis.."

So, were they just using or manufacturing? If they were just using, I imagine that the premises could be brought up to livable without too much effort. If the were manufacturing, that's a different issue. Which was it?

You should probably be discussing the whole deal with a local attorney to see if you have any options. If you're lucky you might be able to find an attorney that provides a free first consultation.

My kids are suffering as we speak , they are having respiratory infections and skin rashes. My oldest has been expelled from school due to an unexplainable skin rash. We have made appointments to seek medical diagnosis. It was only after the sale that we learned about the meth , not before. A bomb in plain view is alot different than hidden chemical dangers. At first sight, the interior does not show any part of a meth house. We had no way of knowing before moving in. According to the local health dept. we have to abandon ALL of our personal belongings and go through a decontamination process. After that process, we can not come back , So that means to me we have lost EVERYTHING.

They were manufacturing Meth and using it. From moving in ,to finding out has happened in less than a 30 day period. We have not paid the first mortgage payment yet for it is not due. We didnt know about it on the move in date , only approached by credable people that live near here several days after the fact. We found this address on the DEA's list of meth houses.

I am in Massachusetts and have worked in the environmental industry for many years. I would state that you should probably find temporary quarters for you and your family to live in, perhaps with relatives etc.

You need a Hazmat Team to come in and do some serious cleaning and how do you know there are not chemicals literally there as we speak.

It should be cleanable but you indeed need someone who has HazMat experience especially in this area. They would likely have OSHA HAZWOPER experience/ training. Do not go thru the yellow pages because in the industry I am telling you there are many companies who say they have these trainings and they are nothing but frauds. be careful.

You could call your local DEA office and see who they call in, call your local town as well since they may have some of contract. My company has a contract with the DEA, but we are in the NorthEast.

If I can be of help post back but just be careful. Respiratory issues are one of the signs as well as rashes etc.

You need tovalue yourselves and live someplace else until you get this straightened out....Do you have homeowners insurance perhaps you could look into that al;thoguh it wasn't your fault but you were not aware of this ..

Best of luck

"Do you have homeowners insurance perhaps you could look into that"

Not a chance.

Homeowners insurance doesn't cover stuff that happened before the policy was in effect.

If also excludes loss due to pollutants (yes, the definition of pollutants is broad enough for a meth lab) and excludes or limits mold/fungi.