Indian Wells business owner says “black mold” forced him out of building

Photos show black mold, that we are told was found behind the walls at Porcello’s jewelry shop at “The Village in Indian Wells”.

Mark Porcello says he uncovered the mold last October, behind a wall in his store, after he discovered a box on the floor was wet.

“I’m really broken-hearted. I’ve put a lot of effort into this endeavor,” said Porcello.

Porcello says eventually, the source of the mold was discovered.

It was a leaking water heater in the attic.

Porcello says after getting tired of the property management team to bring in a mold abatement team, he decided to hire his own, to assess the situation.

Porcello says his mold team found leaking pipes, and more mold behind the walls in his store.

He says they also told him that mold had also spread to businesses on both sides of Porcello’s.

“It was up in the attic too, and when its in the attic, that stuff can blow anytime. There is no separation between the stores. It was just wide open,” said the estate dealer.

Porcello says the property manager, Chris Bush, at Pacific Coast Commercial Real Estate eventually got involved, sending in mold remediation crews, weeks after he first found the mold.

By then, Porcello says his business had already suffered “irreparable harm”

He also shared a photo, which he says show bags of his supplies and inventory, which he claims Chris Bush had removed from his store and thrown out, when he was “out of town”, and says his store was “dismantled”, all without his consent.

“I feel I was wrongly treated. I thought all she was worried about is what she wanted,” said Porcello.

Now, an eviction notice is posted on the window, because Porcello says he stopped paying the monthly lease.

He wants the property manager to reimburse him for his losses, and says he is considering taking legal action.

“I wake up 2 or 3 times a night, thinking about it. It really bothers me,” said the business owner.

Based on the report from the mold experts he hired, he says he’s “convinced the entire complex still has mold issues”.

Chris Bush responded to our request for comment, via email.

She told News Channel 3 she is “unable to comment” because of “the pending legal matter”.