By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. Aug. 3, 2016: Leading pesticide company Terminix has offered to hand over USD $87 million to a Delaware family who became seriously sickened from a banned pesticide used by the company at a Caribbean resort they were vacationing at last year.
Stephen Esmond, wife Theresa, and their teenage sons fell ill not long after checking into their rooms which was above a fumigated unit at the Sirenusa condominium resort in St. John’s in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2015.
The exposure to the pesticide left Mr. Esmond severely paralyzed. His sons, Sean and Ryan Esmond – both in high school – have paralysis and no sensation in their limbs. His wife is now recovering enough to take care of her husband and sons.
The family was treated in the Caribbean for a brief time before they were flown to Philadelphia-area hospitals.
In earnings report filed Thursday by ServiceMaster Global Holdings Inc., of Memphis, Tennessee, which owns Terminix, described an $87 million payout to the Esmond family. This comes in addition to $3 million already paid to the family to cover the insurance deductible.
The section in the earnings filing, titled “U.S. Virgin Islands” under “Other matters” on the company’s website, described the investigation that followed the use of the pesticide.
“We expect that, under the terms of the proposed settlement agreement, in addition to the amounts that the company’s insurance carriers have agreed to pay to the family pursuant to our general liability insurance policies, we will pay $87 million,” according to the post.
The company agreed in March to pay $10 million to resolve allegations that it was illegally spraying a toxic pesticide that critically sickened three members of the family in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Terminix admitted to using odorless methyl bromide at 14 locations – including at the Sirenusa condominium resort in March 2015.
The plea agreement will be subject to approval at a court hearing scheduled for Aug. 25, according to the filing.
