You’re sick. Your home made you sick. And now you want to know the question everyone asks: what is my mold injury case actually worth?

Fair question. Terrible answers abound on the internet—vague ranges, meaningless averages, and the classic attorney dodge of “it depends.” Let’s do better than that. Let’s talk specifics.

The honest answer is that mold injury settlements in Colorado range from $10,000 for minor, short-term exposure cases to $500,000+ for severe, prolonged exposure with lasting health damage. The biggest cases—involving children, permanent respiratory damage, or egregious landlord conduct—have settled and verdicted into seven figures.

But those numbers mean nothing without understanding what drives them. So let’s break it down.

The Factors That Determine Your Settlement Value

Every mold injury case is a math problem wrapped in a human story. The insurance company will try to reduce it to a spreadsheet. Your attorney’s job is to make them see the person behind the numbers. Here’s what moves the needle:

1. Severity and Duration of Health Effects

This is the single biggest factor. A case involving two months of sinus infections settles for a fundamentally different number than a case involving two years of progressive respiratory decline.

Health Impact Level	Typical Conditions	Settlement Range
Mild/Short-term	Allergic reactions, sinus infections, skin rashes (resolved after remediation)	$10,000–$50,000
Moderate	Chronic sinusitis, new-onset asthma, recurring respiratory infections, missed work	$50,000–$150,000
Severe	Permanent lung damage, aspergillosis, neurological effects, hospitalization	$150,000–$500,000+
Catastrophic	Pulmonary fibrosis, permanent cognitive impairment, death (wrongful death claim)	$500,000–$1M+

The key driver here is permanence. If your health fully recovered after leaving the moldy environment, that’s good news for you personally but limits the settlement value. If you’re left with ongoing respiratory issues, new medication needs, or permanent scarring in your lungs—the numbers climb fast.

2. Medical Documentation

You can be extremely sick, but if your medical records don’t show it, your settlement suffers. Strong medical evidence includes:

Pulmonary function tests showing decreased lung capacity
Imaging (CT scans, X-rays) showing respiratory inflammation or damage
Allergist/immunologist reports connecting your symptoms to mold
Mycotoxin urine testing showing elevated levels
A treating physician’s opinion that your condition is “consistent with mold exposure”

Cases with objective medical evidence—test results, imaging, specialist opinions—settle for significantly more than cases relying solely on subjective symptom reports. This is exactly why we tell clients: see every doctor, take every test, follow every treatment plan. Read our guide on toxic mold symptoms and legal claims for more on building this evidence.

3. Duration of Exposure

How long were you breathing this stuff? A few weeks of exposure before you caught it and moved out is a different case than 18 months of living in a mold-infested apartment because your landlord kept stalling.

Longer exposure generally means more severe health effects, more medical expenses, and—critically—more evidence that the landlord had time to act and chose not to. That last point matters enormously for settlement negotiations.

4. The Landlord’s Conduct

This is where cases go from “fair settlement” to “you’re going to pay through the nose.” Insurance adjusters know that juries despise landlords who:

Ignored multiple complaints—especially written ones with timestamps
Painted over mold instead of properly remediating it
Retaliated against tenants who complained (eviction threats, rent increases)
Knew about chronic water intrusion and did nothing
Failed to disclose known mold to new tenants
Hired unqualified workers for “remediation” that didn’t actually fix the problem

The worse the landlord’s behavior, the more an insurance company fears a jury trial—and the higher they’ll settle to avoid one. Egregious conduct can also open the door to punitive damages in Colorado, which are meant to punish particularly reckless behavior.

5. Who the Victim Is

Cases involving children, elderly residents, or immunocompromised individuals command higher settlements—because the duty of care is higher and the harm is more foreseeable. A landlord who exposes a healthy 30-year-old to mold is negligent. A landlord who exposes a 4-year-old with developing lungs to mold is reckless.

6. Property Damage

Don’t overlook the stuff mold destroyed. Furniture, clothing, mattresses, electronics, personal items—all compensable. In cases where tenants had to abandon belongings during an emergency move-out, property damage claims can add $5,000–$30,000+ to the total.

How Insurance Companies Try to Lowball Mold Claims

Let’s talk about what you’re actually up against. The insurance company adjusting your landlord’s claim has a playbook, and it’s cynical.

“The Mold Levels Were Within Normal Range”

This is their favorite line. Here’s the truth: there is no federally established “safe” level of indoor mold. The EPA has explicitly declined to set numerical standards because individual sensitivity varies so widely. When an adjuster says levels were “normal,” they’re citing a standard that doesn’t exist.

“Your Symptoms Were Pre-Existing”

They’ll dig into your medical history looking for any prior respiratory issue—childhood asthma, a single allergist visit five years ago, anything—and argue the mold didn’t cause your problems. This is where strong documentation of the “feel better away from home” pattern becomes essential.

“You Caused the Mold”

They’ll argue you failed to ventilate properly, didn’t run the bathroom fan, kept the heat too low, or somehow created the moisture conditions yourself. This defense rarely holds up when the underlying cause is a structural issue—a leaking roof, broken pipe, or inadequate building envelope—but they’ll try it anyway.

“You Didn’t Mitigate Your Damages”

Translation: “why didn’t you just move out?” This ignores the reality that most tenants can’t afford to break a lease, put down a new security deposit, and move on a moment’s notice. Colorado law doesn’t require you to uproot your life because your landlord won’t do their job.

What a Mold Injury Settlement Actually Covers

Your settlement should account for every category of loss. Not just the obvious ones:

Economic Damages (The Receipts)

Past medical expenses—every doctor visit, prescription, ER trip, specialist consult
Future medical expenses—ongoing treatment, inhalers, monitoring, potential surgeries
Lost wages—time missed from work due to illness
Lost earning capacity—if your health has permanently reduced your ability to work
Property damage—everything the mold destroyed
Relocation costs—moving expenses, temporary housing, new security deposits
Mold testing and inspection costs—you paid to document the problem; that’s compensable

Non-Economic Damages (The Human Cost)

Pain and suffering—physical discomfort and emotional distress from being poisoned in your own home
Loss of enjoyment of life—activities you can no longer do, hobbies you’ve given up
Anxiety and fear—the stress of knowing you’ve been exposed to something toxic
Loss of consortium—impact on your relationships and family life

Non-economic damages are typically calculated using a multiplier of 1.5x to 5x your economic damages, depending on severity. A case with $40,000 in medical bills and a 3x multiplier would value non-economic damages at $120,000—for a total of $160,000 before property damage and other costs.

Settlement vs. Trial—What to Expect

The vast majority of mold injury cases settle before trial. Here’s why: landlord insurance companies know that juries hate negligent landlords. A jury watching a mother describe her child’s chronic respiratory illness—caused by mold the landlord knew about and ignored—is a jury that’s going to punish someone.

That said, the timeline matters:

Phase	Timeline	What Happens
Investigation	Month 1–3	Mold testing, medical documentation, evidence gathering
Demand	Month 3–6	Formal demand letter to landlord’s insurance with full damage documentation
Negotiation	Month 6–12	Back-and-forth with insurance adjuster; most cases settle here
Litigation	Month 12–24+	If no fair settlement, file lawsuit; discovery, depositions, mediation
Trial	Month 18–30+	Rare but powerful; jury verdicts often exceed pre-trial settlement offers

Patience is your ally. Cases that settle quickly almost always settle for less. The longer you can afford to wait—with an attorney handling the pressure—the better the outcome.

Why You Need an Attorney for a Mold Case

Mold cases are harder than a standard slip-and-fall or car accident. The causation questions are more complex. The science is more technical. The insurance defenses are more aggressive.

An experienced mold injury attorney brings:

Relationships with mold inspectors, toxicologists, and environmental medicine experts
Experience countering the “normal mold levels” and “pre-existing condition” defenses
Knowledge of Colorado’s warranty of habitability and landlord-tenant law
The ability to identify all liable parties (landlord, property manager, contractor, HOA)
Resources to fund expert witnesses and professional testing

At Conduit Law, we handle mold injury cases on contingency—you pay nothing upfront, and we only get paid if we win your case. Our interests are aligned with yours, and we have no incentive to settle cheap. For more on your landlord’s obligations, see our guide on Colorado landlord mold liability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the average mold injury settlement in Colorado?

There’s no single “average” because cases vary enormously. Minor exposure cases with full recovery typically settle for $10,000–$50,000. Moderate cases with lasting health effects range from $50,000–$150,000. Severe cases involving permanent damage, hospitalization, or vulnerable victims can exceed $500,000.

How long do I have to file a mold injury claim in Colorado?

The statute of limitations is generally 3 years for personal injury and 3 years for property damage. The discovery rule may extend this if you didn’t know mold was causing your illness—but don’t count on it. Act sooner rather than later.

Can I get punitive damages in a mold case?

Potentially. If the landlord’s conduct was willfully reckless—like knowingly concealing mold, retaliating against complaining tenants, or repeatedly ignoring documented complaints—punitive damages may be available under Colorado law.

What if my landlord already fixed the mold?

A belated fix doesn’t erase the damage already done. If you suffered health effects during the exposure period, you still have a claim for the harm caused by their earlier negligence. The repair addresses the property—not your medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult with an attorney for advice regarding your specific situation.

Your health has a value. Your suffering has a value. And the landlord who caused both of those things has an insurance policy that’s supposed to cover it. Don’t let them minimize what happened to you. Call Conduit Law—the consultation is free, and we don’t get paid unless you do.

Mold Injury Settlements in CO | Conduit Law