Valley Fever Lawsuit

Lawsuits are being filed by people who were diagnosed with Valley fever, a serious lung disease that is caused by breathing fungal spores in the air.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Valley Fever induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with Valley Fever, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Disease Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

Valley Fever On The Rise

More than 500,000 Americans could be sickened with Valley fever every year, according to recent estimates.

“There’s just not a ton of awareness or knowledge about the disease,” the researchers warned. It can take months for doctors to correctly diagnose Valley fever, and antibiotics will not work.

Another problem is that cases of Valley fever have risen sharply in recent years, and it may be due to an increasing number of dust storms in the southwestern U.S., according to a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

How Common is Valley Fever?

Only a small fraction of Valley fever cases are reported to health officials, so the true number of cases is likely much higher than the data shows. Even so, case counts have skyrocketed, from around 2,200 cases in 1998 to more than 20,000 cases in 2019, according to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On average, about 200 people died of Valley fever every year between 1999 and 2019.

What is Valley Fever?

Valley fever, also called “coccidioidomycosis,” is an infection with the fungus Coccidioides. Lung infections are the most common type of Valley fever.

How Do People Get Valley Fever?

People can get Valley fever when they breathe in microscopic spores of the Coccidioides fungus in the air. This fungus grows in the soil in the southwestern U.S., south-central Washington, and California, but its range is spreading as dry and dusty regions expand due to climate change. People who breathe dusty air are most at risk.

What Jobs Have The Highest Risk?

People who work outdoors have the highest risk of Valley fever. Outbreaks of work-related Valley fever have occurred in prisons, workers digging trenches, and even outdoor TV filming.

The risk of Valley fever is highest for people who must dig in the dirt, operate heavy machinery, or work during windy and dusty conditions. The highest-risk jobs include:

Construction workers
Farm and agricultural workers
Archaeologists
Geologists
Firefighters
Mining, oil & natural gas extraction workers
Military personnel / trainees

Symptoms of Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)

Valley fever does not always cause symptoms. Most people who breathe Coccidioides spores will not get sick — but some do. It is most common in adults aged 60 and older, especially those with underlying illnesses.

For people who do develop symptoms, it usually takes 1-3 weeks for the symptoms to start after the person breathes in the fungal spores. The symptoms usually persist for a few weeks or months, but some people develop severe infections that last much longer.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the symptoms of Valley fever may include:

Tiredness
Cough
Fever
Shortness of breath
Headache
Night sweats
Muscle aches or joint pain
Rash on upper body or legs

Valley Fever Can Cause Severe Complications In Lungs and Brain

About 5-10% of people who develop Valley fever suffer serious or long-term complications in their lungs. About 1% of people develop life-threatening invasive infections in other parts of their body, such as the brain and spinal cord, skin, or bones and joints.

Jury Awards $12 Million Against Caltrans After Valley Fever Outbreak

In January 2016, a jury in California ordered Caltrans to pay $12 million to 5 construction workers who infected with Valley fever. The workers were infected after breathing fungal spores at an excavation site where Coccidioides was known to be in the soil.

Prison Inmate Gets $425,000 Settlement in Valley Fever Lawsuit

In August 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons agreed to pay a $425,000 settlement to a federal prisoner who developed Valley fever after being exposed to the Coccidioides fungus in the soil around the Taft Correctional Institution in California.

Do I have a Valley Fever Lawsuit?

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