Josh Donaldson Settles With Mold Landlord for $729K

Josh Donaldson’s lawsuit against his former landlord has officially ended with a high six-figure settlement. 

Donaldson will receive roughly $729,000 from Bill Grous, whom he rented a Connecuticut mansion from during his first year with the Yankees in 2022. The two sides reached a post-verdict deal on Friday to end their dispute, according to court documents. 

The three-time All Star sued Grous claiming a breached lease due to mold in the mansion that caused coughs and congestion to him, his now-wife and then-infant daughter and alleged Grous was slow to act on it and failed to communicate with the family. 

The $729,000 includes the $222,000 judgment a jury awarded Donaldson in June, which included incidental damages such as moving, alternate housing and increased transportation costs. In mid-July, Donaldson sought an additional $70,000 in the judgment for accrued interest on his security deposit. He got it, as the $110,000 security deposit was doubled under Connecticut law and supplemented with late fees and interest. 

The figure also included prejudgment interest, costs, and attorneys fees.

Donaldson played 11 years in the major leagues for the Athletics, Blue Jays, Guardians, Braves, Twins, Yankees, and Brewers, earning about $159 million. The incident happened during the first of two seasons with the Yankees in 2022, when Donaldson rented the mansion in Greenwich, Conn. for $55,000 per month. 

The family vacated the mansion in April 2022, a month into the six-month lease. Grous lost a counterclaim for breach-of-contract, alleging the family planned to break the lease because they didn’t like the house. Grous sought $275,000 of back rent in the claim and his attorney argued the mold was confined to a small area of the house and that Grous quickly tried to fix it. 

Attorneys for both Donaldson and Grous did not immediately respond to requests for comment.