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The Dorsey family's harrowing ordeal began when their children's routine blood tests revealed alarming lead levels.
Mount Moriah Baptist Church is a historic house of worship in the heart of South Los Angeles, a pillar of its community.
Growing up, Myles Dorsey attended services there with his grandmother, a faithful and respected member of the congregation.
But today, Dorsey and his wife, Francisca Vazquez Barrios, are suing the church they loved and trusted, alleging that its neglect exposed their young children to dangerous and damaging levels of lead, poisoning the children and causing permanent, life-altering health complications.
The Dorsey family's harrowing ordeal began when their children's routine blood tests revealed alarming lead levels. The Los Angeles County Health Department's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program alerted the parents to the severity of the situation, urging immediate action.
Certified lead inspection company Barr & Clark identified over 400 interior and exterior locations around the Dorsey's rented home that contain not only lead paint but dangerously deteriorated lead-based paint, which is easily "ingested through the normal hand-to-mouth behavior common in all toddlers," the suit says. Dust and soil samples collected at the property also reflected extremely elevated lead levels—some measuring over 200 times the EPA's regulatory limit.
The Dorseys immediately informed Mount Moriah Baptist Church, owners of the rental property on Flower Street where they had been living for nearly a decade, demanding remediation. But instead of fixing the problem, the church relocated the family to a second church-owned property on Orange Street. Tragically, inspections of the home also revealed toxic levels of lead contamination.
The church made superficial, stopgap repairs on the Orange Street home but failed to resolve the underlying hazard. Trapped in a tight rental market with no viable housing alternatives, the Dorseys continue to live in unsafe conditions.
"We trusted the church to do the right thing, not just because of our faith but because of their duty as landlords," Myles Dorsey explained. "But instead of protecting us, they put our children at even greater risk."
Severe Damage, No Cure
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) there is no safe blood lead level (BLL) for children. The CDC's blood lead reference value (BLRV) helps identify children with blood lead levels higher than most: 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL) — 97.5th percentile among U.S. children ages 1-5 years — is the threshold at which prompt action should be taken to mitigate risk. BLLs as low as five mcg/dL are associated with irreversible neurological harm. Levels of 70 mcg/dL are deadly.
Measured days after he turned two, Ezekiel's blood lead level was an alarming 56 mcg/dL — more than 16 times the CDC's reference level. His younger sister, Mahlia, age 16 months, had a lower but nonetheless hazardous BLL. A year later, Ezekiel's blood level tested out at 13 mcg/dL, still dangerously high.
Decades of medical research have demonstrated that lead poisoning in children causes irreversible damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth, developmental delays, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, speech and hearing issues, and a wide range of pediatric and adult diseases.
"There is no cure for lead poisoning. The damage—neurological impairment, learning deficits, ADHD, aggression, and even delayed puberty—is permanent. Yet, this tragedy is entirely preventable", said Grant Riley, the family's attorney.
Now almost five, Ezekial suffers from psychological and behavioral issues, including emotional outbursts, aggression, and lack of impulse control, caused by permanent brain damage from lead exposure. Mahlia, now three, began showing signs of ADD and other complications related to toxic lead by the time she was two.
According to the suit, Ezekiel and Mahlia were "lead-poisoned during the time frame when their developing brains and organs were most susceptible to the dangers of lead."
"Preventing lead poisoning is simple: landlords must maintain their properties. But time and again, careless or greedy landlords ignore this responsibility, prioritizing profits over the health and safety of their tenants", said Riley.
Fighting for other families too
The Dorseys face the heartbreaking fact that there is no cure for the harm their children have suffered—and grappling with the financial reality of lifelong medical monitoring, treatment, and disability care.
Their lawsuit accuses the church of negligence, breach of warranty of habitability, and infliction of emotional distress. It alleges the church knowingly rented homes with lead hazards and failed to take meaningful action to address the problem. Investigations for the suit have revealed that violations against the property go back to at least 2004.
Dorsey's legal team is calling for Mount Moriah Baptist Church to take full responsibility and address the risks to other tenants.
"No child should suffer lifelong consequences because a landlord refused to spend the money to keep their home safe. Lead poisoning is 100% preventable, and we must hold those responsible accountable," said Riley.
The family is sharing their story to raise awareness, call for accountability, and protect other families living in homes owned by Mount Moriah Baptist Church and throughout the broader community. Despite decades of federal initiatives, there is still a lead poisoning crisis; thousands of children in Los Angeles and across California are at high risk of hazardous lead exposure.
"This isn't just about our family," the mother, Francisca Vazquez Barrios, explained. "It's about every child who deserves to grow up healthy and every parent who shouldn't have to fight for their child's safety in their own home."
The lawsuit is Dorsey vs. Azure Realty, Inc. Case No. 24STCV11093; Los Angeles County Superior Court
