It seems the Chinese drywall story will probably go on for a long time. That’s especially true since the self proclaimed consumer advocacy group America’s Watchdog (AW) pounds on it relentlessly.
According to one report companies like Lennar and others who work in Florida and south along the gulf coast are tearing it out, and a summary on list.uvm.edu claims Lennar has brought suits against suppliers and subcontractors, while there are four suits underway in Florida against the material manufacturers. Lawyers for the plaintiffs claim contractors won’t be getting off though as they intend to bring claims for breach of contract and breach of warranty against them.
By one account enough of the drywall entered a Florida port to finish 36,000 homes. It isn’t clear yet just what the consequences to human health are, but AW claims it “could make homeowners, or their families very sick”, and “exposure could even kill.” Of course we would expect some heightened drama from AW since it is a for profit organization that consults with lawyers regarding class action lawsuits. Interestingly if you visit AW’s web sites you will have a hard time uncovering just who is behind its efforts, and what kind of entity it is other than it rides the white horse on behalf of consumers. The above information about AW comes from the named listserv report above.
The speculation is that the drywall was made with fly ash, the waste from the scrubbers on coal-fired power plants.
The law firm Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman reports that some believe the issue could eclipse the mold litigation beginning at the turn of this century. The firm recommended builders begin compiling documents related to any Chinese drywall they used so they can formulate a plan to pass on risk.
The material is alleged to have been used in CA, AZ, OH, TX, LA, NV, NC, SC, GA, MS, and VA.
