South MS homeowners wanted high-speed internet, say they got overflowing toilets
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lawsuit claims AT&T's cable installation blocked sewage line, flooding home.
- Polions allege negligence, trespass and seek damages for repairs and relocation.
- AT&T denies liability, asserting proper procedures and lack of known defects.
A Long Beach couple thought they would be getting high-speed internet through fiber optic cable being installed by Bellsouth Communications LLC, doing business as AT&T Mississippi.
After installation, the unexpected happened in April 2024. They heard “burping noises” and smelled a strong odor coming from their toilets and/or water drains. A week later, their toilets overflowed into the kitchen, living room and dining room. But that was only the beginning.
The damages that Harolyn and John Polion say they have suffered are outlined in a lawsuit filed in Harrison County Circuit Court against AT&T Mississippi and two employees. The Polions accuse the company and employees of negligence and civil trespass
AT&T and the employees have denied any wrongdoing. The company says care was used during installation, it had no knowledge of defects and the Polions failed to mitigate any damage.
The couple’s lawsuit concludes: “The faulty and negligent installation of AT&T and its employees has ruined the flooring, baseboards, carpeting, and additional aspects of the Polion property and has created moisture and mold problems, which necessitate substantial repair.”
South MS lawsuit outlines damages
AT&T sold the Polions on high-speed internet service in March 2024, their lawsuit says. The fiber-optic cable was installed on one side of the Polions’ property, running under their driveway.
The day after their toilets first backed up, a plumbing company put a camera in the sewer line and discovered why. AT&T’s fiber optic cable was blocking the main sewage line, the lawsuit says. The Polions alerted AT&T, with a representative saying the company would send someone out to investigate.
The next day, the Polions’ three toilets overflowed, flooding the house with feces, the lawsuit says. An AT&T employee pulled up the cable from the side of the Polions’ house a day later, further damaging the main sewer line. The Polions called another plumbing company that dug under the driveway and found two other areas where the fiber-optic cable had penetrated the sewer line, the lawsuit says.
The Polions were forced to vacate the property for “extended periods of time,” their lawsuit says. The lawsuit mentions that AT&T sent two checks in May, but does not list the amounts or what those checks covered. Aside from the initial inspection after the toilets first backed up, AT&T has done nothing to address the damage, says the lawsuit, filed by Hattiesburg attorney Paul Anderson.
The Polions say AT&T should pay an unspecified amount to repair the sewer line and resulting damage, plus pay the Polions’ additional living expenses and loss of use of their property.
They also want to be compensated for mental anguish, in addition to seeking punitive damages for what the lawsuit describes as gross and willful negligence on AT&T’s part.
