Couple and daughter slept in Car outside home for 8 years

For years, a Miami couple, Phillipe Mathieu, 62, and Sherrine Mathieu, 42, and their daughter have been sleeping, crammed together, in a small car parked in the front yard of their home, police say. They used a hose to bathe outside and plastic containers for waste.

On Friday, Miami police charged both parents with 863 counts of child neglect, and their 16 – year old daughter is in protective custody. Phillipe Mathieu told police that his wife cleaned compulsively and wouldn’t allow him or any family members inside their home on the 6300 block of Northwest First Court.

Police found jugs with dirty water, plastic bags, garbage and mildew inside the south unit of the duplex and the smell was horrible, while the north unit was much cleaner with nice furniture, electricity and running hot water. Through the open door, a large TV set, wall unit and flower arrangement could be seen. Miami Police spokesman, Delrish Moss, told reporters that investigators from the Special Victims Unit found a single twin bed there.

“The girl said that’s the part of the duplex they use in case the Department of Children and Families come looking, but the actual “bedroom” is a red Pontiac Grand Am shielded from view by a large tarp covering the chain-link fence on the property’s north side and a strategically parked Ford Windstar van in front . Several other cars on the property also obscured the Grand Am.

Phillipe Mathieu told investigators he allowed the situation because “he didn’t want to have problems with his wife.” The daughter, whom police would not name, said that “they’ve lived in these conditions since she was 8.” Moss said investigators found out about the Mathieu’s through DCF.

DCF spokesman Mark Riordan said Friday the agency had visited the home in November after allegations of family violence. The daughter will be evaluated and processed into the foster system.

WELLS FARGO and WACHOVIA -LOAN-MODIFICATION HELP AT MIAMI BEACH CONVENTION CENTER

Wells Fargo and Wachovia have invited more than 15,000 of their mortgage customers to appear in person to work out loan modifications at a three-day workshop that started Friday and continues through Sunday at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Walk-Ins are welcome throughout the event for Wells Fargo and Wachovia mortgage customers, who should bring information that provides a snapshot of their financial circumstances.

Remember to bring all your paperwork to get the best possible results. Good Luck!

Florida man wins $14M Asbestos Case

A Miami-Dade jury has awarded William Aubin, from Sarasota, more than 14 million after deciding that the asbestos he inhaled in the 1970s caused his deadly abdominal cancer. According to Aubin, his parents, who found Aubin Construction on Key Biscayne in the 1960s, used the asbestos-laden compounds. Aubin, now 59 and a retired firefighter, worked in his parents’ company after they moved it to Sarasota.

Jurors found that chemical giant Union Carbide was negligent for selling asbestos fibers to other companies, which had used the fibers to make joint compounds used by construction companies –- such as the William Aubin’s family owned.

Jurors also found that four of the compound manufactures, including George-Pacific, share some of the responsibility for causing Aubin’s illness.

Peritoneal mesothelioma - is a rare and usually fatal cancer that attacks the lining of the abdominal cavity and organs. Aubin’s lawyers argued that he is permanently impaired and will ultimately and unfortunately die from mesothelioma.

William Aubin’s attorney was Juan Bauta, who argued the case for the Ferraro Law Firm. Michael Terry, a Texas-based attorney, represented Union Carbide.