New Bedford landlord accused of illegal asbestos work, will pay $100k in settlement
By Kirsten Glavin
@kirstenglavin
NEW BEDFORD, MA – A New Bedford landlord, who owns and operates dozens of properties, will now pay $100,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the Attorney General’s Office back in October 2012.
The lawsuit alleges Ronald Oliveira of Acushnet allowed contractors to perform illegal asbestos work on four properties he owned and operated in the city. The renovations risked exposing the public and his workers to harmful health risks associated with asbestos.
Krystle Matos moved into her home on 231 Pleasant Street, back in 2014. She bought the home from Oliveira.
"As soon as I woke up, I saw it on Facebook. I was like ‘Woah, I know him. He’s the person I bought my house from,’” Matos said after hearing about the lawsuit online.
ABC6 broke the news that her home was one of four in the city involved in the lawsuit, Friday night. It accuses Oliveira of breaking asbestos safety protocol while doing construction work on those properties, dating back to as early as 2009.
"I was like what the heck! Hopefully it’s not one of my properties! But obviously now I know it is,” said Matos.
The work on Matos’ home was done in the basement in July of 2013, right before she bought it. Contractors reportedly broke asbestos–containing ceiling tiles, and left them sitting there for a month, putting the public and workers at a very high health risk.
"Everything was clean when we got here, so I’m definitely going to have someone inspect the house for anything that can cause harm to my daughter,” said Matos.
The other homes in New Bedford include:
A triple-decker on 11 Merrill Street, where Oliveira’s contractors began cleaning and painting asbestos-containing shingles in 2009. The contractors were reportedly not wearing protective equipment.
A three-family house on 197 Weld Street where contractors cut and broke asbestos siding and demolished a second floor front deck, and left the debris in the dumpster. This allegedly occurred in January 2011.
And in March and April of 2011, Oliveira reportedly arranged for contractors to renovate the exterior of a three-family house at 8 Harmony Street, which was covered in asbestos-containing siding. Contractors broke the siding and left the debris to dry.
"I wish he was more concerned, or caring about his property,” said Matos.
