Roof repairs at JFS caused injury, worker says

The Cafaro Co., named in the suit, says it didn't hire the contractors.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A training officer at the Mahoning County Department of Job and Family Services and her husband have sued the department's landlord, a roofing company and others for more than $25,000, alleging she suffered severe and permanent injuries because she inhaled noxious fumes as the roof was being repaired at her workplace.
The suit, filed by Deborah and Rodney Cheatham of Youngstown, says she lost work time and wages and incurred medical expenses because of her exposure to the fumes under inadequate ventilation and without adequate warning as she conducted an employee training seminar June 22, 2004, at her workplace.
The defendants
The suit was filed Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court against Sky Roofing of Boardman; the Cafaro Co. and its subsidiary, the Ohio Valley Mall Co., both of Youngstown; three unidentified John Doe corporations; and three John or Jane Doe individuals. The county and JFS are not named as defendants.
The Cafaro Co. owns Garland Plaza, also known as the McGuffey Plaza, 709 N. Garland Ave., where the county has leased space for JFS since 1988.
Neither the Cafaro Co. nor any of its subsidiaries hired Sky Roofing, nor has the Cafaro Co. performed or engaged any contractors to perform roof work at JFS, said Anthony M. Cafaro Sr., president of the Cafaro Co.
Under the JFS lease, the county is responsible for all roof membrane repairs, he added.
Cafaro-county interactions
Cafaro called attention to a letter he wrote to the county commissioners, dated July 15, 2005, in response to "a pungent odor, which is evidently caused by some type of a liquid coating that was brushed on the roof membrane" to repair a minor roof leak and seeped into the roof insulation.
In the letter, Cafaro wrote that the roof membrane seemed to be watertight and that the odor emanating from the roof's southeast corner was apparently worsened by warm weather. Cafaro suggested the county hire "an outside unbiased firm" to examine the roof and make a remedial recommendation.
Pete Triveri, county facilities manager, did not return a call seeking comment.
A secretary at Sky Roofing said the company had no comment.
The Cheathams are represented by Attys. Stacie L. Roth and Brian L. Zimmerman, both of Canton.