11 cancer-stricken former Poe Hall occupants sue North Carolina State

Jane Sartwell, The News & Observer (Raleigh) on Jan 27, 2026

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RALEIGH, N.C. — A group of 10 women and one man who developed breast cancer while working or studying at North Carolina State’s Poe Hall are suing the university over allegations of “deliberate indifference.”

The school violated their fundamental right to bodily integrity under the state constitution, their lawsuit contends.

Poe Hall, North Carolina State’s former education building, was constructed using materials that contained PCBs, a group of harmful man-made chemicals banned in 1979 — eight years after Poe Hall was built. The university closed the building in 2023, and is suing Monsanto for manufacturing the PCBs used to build its HVAC system.

In recent years, many former Poe Hall occupants who later developed cancer have come forward. Now, a group of them is taking legal action against the school.

The school either knew or should have known about the PCB contamination, according to the lawsuit, which was first reported by WRAL. It cites letters from staff from as early as 2012 reporting concerns from faculty about air quality at Poe Hall.

“Here, NCSU is a state actor that knew, or should have known, that PCBs were present in Poe Hall; knew of repeated and longstanding complaints from occupants about dust and black particulate matter circulating throughout Poe Hall and settling on surfaces; and knew through decades of EPA guidance, scientific literature, and regulatory action that PCBs posed severe and well-documented health risks, including breast cancer,” reads the lawsuit.

“Yet, NCSU failed to test, failed to remediate, failed to warn, and failed to act, choosing deliberate inaction in the face of foreseeable and preventable harm. As such, NCSU interfered with Plaintiffs’ fundamental rights under the North Carolina Constitution and caused constitutional injuries for which no adequate remedy exists.”

The North Carolina Constitution protects the right to earn a living and enjoy the fruits of one’s labor, a right the lawsuit contends the university violated.

“For any member of the N.C. State community who has battled or succumbed to a serious illness, our hearts go out to them and their families,” a statement from the university reads.

“This lawsuit is a continuation of actions stemming from complaints regarding Poe Hall. Responses to this legal action will be made through appropriate legal channels,” the statement says. “Separately, N.C. State will continue to pursue accountability against Monsanto for damages from the PCBs it manufactured and furnished to construct Poe Hall. While the lawsuit against Monsanto continues, N.C. State will move forward with planning for remediation of the education building in order to get students, faculty and staff back to learning in an appropriate education environment in the heart of campus.”

Attorneys filed the lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court. They represent the estates of three individuals who have died.

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