(WXYZ) — A local mom says what began as a routine home repair has now turned into the fight of her life.
See the full story in the video below
Cody Huseman is a single mother, a cancer nurse and a military veteran, and she's now locked in a legal battle after asbestos was discovered in her home, and remediation efforts allegedly went wrong.
“How did this nightmare begin for you?” I asked her.
“So it began with my daughter and I coming home from a family fun night at school. I opened the front door — and it looked like a waterfall was coming through my kitchen," Huseman said.
Video from March 18, 2022, shows water pouring from the second floor, running through the house and into the basement.
She said she immediately called her insurance company, USAA.
“They came out the next day, or they gave me a list of vendors to pick from," she said.
Huseman told us she chose MJ White & Son in Novi. Crews arrived the next day, cut into walls, removed wet drywall and set up industrial fans.
“And when the fans were running and you were still living there — what did you notice?” I asked.
“There was just a lot of dust. And I remember asking them, ‘Is it okay for us to be in here?'" she said.
Huseman testified she was told it was safe to return home. MJ White employees later testified they do not remember the job or what she was told.
The fans stayed for eight weeks. Industry standards say most residential water damage is typically dried within five days.
Concerned her home was still wet, Huseman said USAA advised her to hire another company.
On April 30, 2022, she hired Restoration 1 of Hartland. According to legal filings and testing results, mold was discovered in the basement — where water from the original leak had collected.
At that point, she says no asbestos testing had ever been done.
“Once they found the mold, they asked where my asbestos report was — and I had no idea what they were talking about," Huseman said.
Restoration 1 then hired San-Air to test the home. According to the complaint, samples taken on May 2, 2022, tested positive for asbestos and mold. Air testing on May 6, 2022, also detected asbestos.
With these results, Restoration 1 brought in Global Green — a company specializing in asbestos removal.
“When you learned asbestos was in your home, what went through your mind?” I asked.
“My whole world kind of came crumbling down. All I could think about was my little girl — and how long we had been breathing that air," Huseman said.
On June 7, 2022, nearly three months after the leak, Global Green told Huseman in writing that the home was safe to return to.
“I went in — and I was shocked," she said. “There was dust everywhere. Food still in the pantry. Chunks of drywall on top of cans. It didn’t look like what was supposed to happen.”
She then turned to a state-sanctioned firm recommended by MIOSHA — BDN Environmental.
“My initial assessment — just walking in — was that it did not appear clean. After an abatement, there shouldn’t be any dust," Matt Smith with BDN Environmental said.
BDN’s final report was delivered July 15
“We found air levels right at the clearance threshold. For it to be that high weeks later — that was pretty shocking," Smith said.
Smith says testing showed asbestos contamination inside the home — with air levels measuring at the legal limit.
“If Cody and her daughter were breathing that air every day, that’s a significant exposure over time," Smith said.
Cody and her daughter, now living in a hotel, received a message from USAA saying lodging and living expenses would no longer be covered.
“They basically said this was taking too long, asbestos wasn’t covered, and they were out," Huseman told us.
“How did that make you feel?” I asked.
“I was shocked. I’d been with them for about 20 years," she said.
USAA declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.
Huseman now says she’s paying a mortgage on a contaminated home, insurance premiums without coverage for the damage, rent for a condo — and mounting legal bills.
According to court filings, her attorney estimates losses totaling more than a million dollars.
The legal fight began last year, with lawsuits and countersuits now involving multiple companies.
Huseman's attorney, John Badeen with Xuereb Law Group, says required testing should have been done before work ever began.
“One simple step — testing the walls before remediation — could have prevented all of this," Badeen said.
Huseman said she's exhausted, but not giving up.
Cody says she’s exhausted — but not giving up.
“There have been so many times I wanted to quit. But I have my little girl watching me. All I want is my home back — and our life back," Huseman said.
I reached out to USAA, Restoration 1, MJ White & Son, and Global Green for comment. All declined, citing ongoing litigation.
A judge has now granted a stay, temporarily pausing the case while an appeals court decides whether it will take up a challenge to an earlier damages ruling.
