COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Dozens of students and their parents have filed a lawsuit against Ohio State University after mold and mushrooms were discovered growing in a freshman residence hall. According to court documents, a lawsuit filed with Franklin County Court of Common Pleas alleges that dozens of first-year students were sickened by a dormitory mold-infestation that the university reportedly knew about, but did not disclose. MAP: CDC reports surge in respiratory illnesses in Ohio, nationwide The lawsuit was filed by more than 50 students that moved into the Lawrence Tower and their parents in August 2024. It alleges that “mushrooms began growing out of Lawrence Tower walls”, and that “students began to suspect what was making them sick: unsafe air.” A mushroom was discovered in a dorm room at Ohio State's Lawrence Tower in Nov. 2024. (Courtesy/Bressman Law) Students reportedly discovered black, yellow and purple mold behind the wallpaper, which began separating from the dormitory walls. Parents then hired Mold Mentor to test 29 dorm rooms and the company revealed that 27 of the rooms tested positive for black mold and one confirmed mold growth observed with exposure to spores likely. The certificate of mold analysis revealed that air analysis samples taken included "mold concentrations in the air are ABNORMAL and based on the mold counts, you likely have a mold source from which spores are able to become airborne and are an exposure risk to the occupants." A vast majority of the tests noted that "THE SPORES ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO COUNT ACCURATELY AND THE SPORE COUNTS ARE ESTIMATED." The lawsuit claims that Ohio State’s Campus Partners purchased the former Holiday Inn Express Hotel on West Lane Avenue in 2009 and that it took just two months to complete renovations. Mold was discovered in an AC unit in Ohio State's Lawrence Tower. (Courtesy/Bressman Law) “The completed renovations were impressively fast,” the lawsuit said. “But they included little or no remediation of previously known mold and asbestos issues at the property.” In November, the university said that 40 students would be temporarily relocated from 19 affected rooms, which freshman Paige Scheidemantel said she was told the mold was from a water leak. She said mold was discovered on the bathroom ceiling and inside an air conditioner. “Me and my roommates have been literally sick since the first day we got in here,” Scheidemantel said. “We’ve all had coughs.” Black and purple mold was discovered in a dorm room at Lawrence Tower, Nov. 2024. (Courtesy/Bressman Law) Several other students told NBC4 of varying mold conditions in their dorm rooms, including freshman Lindsay Jermain, who said she became sick since she first moved in. “We had it on the ceiling of our bathroom and my dad had to come and spray bleach to get rid of it,” Jermain said. “And then you could see it coming out of our wallpaper. And we had someone come test and pull wallpaper back and there was a lot there.” An Ohio State spokesperson said work to repair the leak and any water damage inside Lawrence Tower began before Thanksgiving, but would not comment on the scope of the damage. In an email to students, OSU said that the residence hall would not house students this semester, but it did not acknowledge claims of mold or mushrooms. In a released statement, Ohio State said in part that, "a water leak occurred in a utility chase, the vertical space that allows pipes and wires to run from one floor to another, on the 11th floor of Lawrence Tower. This leak caused water damage to the drywall and is limited to the rooms that are adjacent to that utility chase.   The leak was reported via Service2Facilities on Oct. 28, and the same morning Facilities team members were on site assessing the damage. They moved quickly to repair the leak and work to identify the extent of the water damage and begin making repairs to those spaces." Columbus gas prices drop to match national average Ohio State declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing pending litigation. The university, which is offering all Lawrence Tower students a credit to their account, is accused of negligence, implied warranty of habitability, nuisance and fraud. The students are making health and property claims in the lawsuit, while their parents are making property claims.