Posted on 21st June 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized
Chinese drywall defective, Chinese drywall lawsuits
A verdict in the first jury trial involving defective Chinese drywall may be harbinger of what happens in thousands of similar cases, according to The Wall Street Journal.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704122904575315303116183036.html?KEYWORDS=chinese+drywall+judgment
Last Friday a jury awarded $2.4 million in damages to a Florida couple because the imported drywall in their home emitted an odor so foul that they had to leave the dwelling. This type of Chinese drywall has been used in new homes throughout Florida and other states, areas that saw a building boom several years ago, before the market crashed.
There have been a flood of complaints about the drywall giving off sulfurous fumes that have a rank smell, and that have made residents ill and even damaged their appliances.
In the trial that just ended, a six-person jury found that Armin and Lisa Selfart were entitled to not only reimbursement for having to remove the drywall from their $1.6 million house, but also for damages for the loss of enjoyment of their home and for the difficulty they may have reselling it, according to The Journal.
The award was against drywall distributor Banner Supply Co., which has been named as a defendent in thousands of lawsuits similar to the one filed by the Selfarts, The Journal reported.
An attorney for Banner told the newspaper that his client may appeal the jury verdict.
Posted on 29th April 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized
Chinese drywall defective, chinese imports
It looks like at lease one Chinese maker of drywall that’s been blamed for releasing sulfurous orders, making people ill and damaging appliances, is going to own up to its responsibilities, according to The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471204575210153577223286.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
The drywall maker Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co., known as KPT, has been negotiating with home builders in the United States to settle their claims and complaints about the drywall, also known as gypsum board.
Those builders have been sued by homeowners who claim that the drywall imported from China used in their homes emits noxious fumes.
Some skeptics question whether companies like KPT would ever pay up and compensate U.S. builders if homeowner suits succeeded against them.
Homeowners won a victory earlier this month when seven families in Virginia won a $2.6 million judgment against another Chinese drywall maker.
The federal government has advised construction companies to remove the defective drywall from houses. In turn, the home builders have been suing Chinese drywall makers and other companies to try to get compensated for ridding homes of the faulty drywall.
The drywall was brought in from China during the period of 2004 to 2007, when there was a housing boom in states such as Florida and Arizona.
