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Victoria's Secret Model Sues Chelsea Condo Over Toxic Mold

By James Fanelli | September 6, 2012 6:40am

MANHATTAN — This Victoria's Secret model might be looking for a couch to crash on.

Covergirl Michelle Buswell has sued her Chelsea condominium for $300,000, claiming her $1.3 million apartment has been rendered uninhabitable because property managers have allowed water leaks to persist for nearly two years.

Buswell, 29, who has sashayed down catwalks in New York, Paris and Milan, said her luxury pad in the Grand Chelsea on West 17th Street has endured flooding from October 2011 to the present, causing toxic levels of mold to accumulate.

The problem was so bad that on June 11 a spore specialist who inspected Buswell's apartment advised her "that given the hazardous mold contamination, she should vacate the unit as soon as possible," according to her lawsuit filed Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court.

The mold build-up included "various fungi, bacteria, mycotoxins, endotoxins, and other toxic, dangerous, allergenic or unhealthful and harmful substances," the lawsuit said.

The 5-foot-11 blonde claims she had to seek medical care, lost the use of her apartment and suffered property damage.

The lawsuit alleges that since October 2011, Buswell and other water-logged residents have complained to the condo board and the property manager, Argo, but they never made repairs.

Calls to Buswell's lawyer and Argo were not returned.