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Broward County, Fla.'s Sick Courthouse

By Brendan McKenna

When Broward Circuit Judge Cheryl Aleman of the Family Court Bench passed away suddenly last month due to an aggressive form of lung cancer at the age of 52, attention quickly turned to her workplace, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.'s Broward County Courthouse, home of the Broward County 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida. Concerned that repeated flooding from rains may be causing dangerous molds to grow, Aleman's neighboring judges on the building's ninth floor have requested relocation. The courthouse's staff is also concerned about the potential for asbestos leaks. The building was constructed in the '50s and scheduled for replacement by 2014. The JAABlog is wondering if it's a "cancer cluster." WSVN-TV reports that "Court Administrator Carol Ortman said she hopes these concerns do not spill over to more requests by judges for relocation." But Clerk of Courts Howard Foreman wants the community to know that his department takes the health worries very seriously, commenting to WSVN that "the judges are concerned, the clerk's office is concerned, and when the reports come back, we'll be very interested in taking a good look at them to see whether that area is inhabitable again or not." The Sun-Sentinel writes that one of the relocated...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on January 12, 2011 (boomark / email).