Homeowners have been given some guidance on determining if their home has a Chinese drywall problem. The Chinese drywall guidelines were issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

According to the CPSC, the two-step guidance requires a visual inspection that must show blackening of copper electrical wiring and/or air conditioning evaporator coils. New drywall must have been installed in the property (for new construction or renovations) between 2001 and 2008. » More: Guidelines for Identifying Defective Chinese Drywall Released

The litigation involving the Chinese drywall debacle will kick into high gear on Friday. A hearing in federal court in New Orleans is to focus on seven Virginia homes built with Chinese drywall, and could set the bar for the remediation of homes with the tainted wallboard nationwide.

At least 3,000 people from across the country have filed suit over defective Chinese drywall. All of the Chinese drywall lawsuits filed in federal courts have been consolidated in the US District Court in New Orleans under Judge Eldon E. Fallon as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL). One single class action lawsuit alone filed against Knauf Gips KG, its Chinese affiliate, Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Ltd., and 600 other defendants, involves nearly 2,100 plaintiffs from Florida, Mississippi and Alabama. » More: Major Chinese Drywall Hearing Set for Friday

National Gypsum, a U.S. drywall manufacturer, is defending itself against claims that its wallboard has caused corrosion and other problems in homes similar to what has been blamed on Chinese drywall.

Last week, we reported that two Florida families had filed suit against National Gypsum over allegedly defective drywall. George and Brenda Brincku of Alva, and Lydia and Apolinar Garcia of Cape Coral, were listed as lead plaintiffs in the National Gypsum lawsuit. According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, the Brincku’s say their home contains only domestic drywall, and 90 percent of it was made by National Gypsum. The family has experienced extensive corrosion to their home, and a Florida health official told the Herald Tribune that this past spring that the Brincku’s residence was one of the worst examples of an affected home he had seen. The complaint said tests conducted by the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) on drywall from the Brincku home supported the lawsuit’s claims. » More: National Gypsum Refutes Defective Drywall Claims

A Chinese drywall lawsuit has been filed by the Louisiana attorney general against manufacturers and home developers. The lawsuit claims the state of Louisiana has and will continue to suffer economic loss because of the defective Chinese drywall.

Defendants in the suit include Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin, one of the major manufacturers of Chinese drywall. Other international and domestic manufacturers, distributors, and importers of toxic Chinese wallboard are also named as defendants. » More: Louisiana AG Files Suit Over Chinese Drywall

One Florida county is seeking a disaster declaration because of Chinese drywall. In seeking the declaration from Gov. Charlie Crist, officials in Broward County said Chinese drywall has impacted some sections of the county as badly as a hurricane might.

A disaster declaration would make federal and state financial assistance to homeowners in Broward County whose homes have been ruined by Chinese drywall. » More: Broward County Wants Chinese Drywall Disaster Declaration

The litigation involving Chinese drywall will soon kick into high gear, with the first bellwether trials expected to start this month. More than 3,000 people across the country have filed suit against the manufacturers, suppliers, builders and other entities that played a role in the Chinese drywall crisis.

All of the Chinese drywall lawsuits filed in federal courts have been consolidated in the US District Court in New Orleans under Judge Eldon E. Fallon as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL). One single class action lawsuit alone filed against Knauf Gips KG, its Chinese affiliate, Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Ltd., and 600 other defendants, involves nearly 2100 plaintiffs from Florida, Mississippi and Alabama. » More: First Chinese Drywall Trials Start This Month

In an attempt to force the payment of Chinese drywall damage claims, a lawsuit has been filed against 14 insurers for WCI Communities Inc. The lawsuit was filed by a Chinese drywall trust set up by the Florida-based builder after it emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year.

WCI is one of many Florida builders which has acknowledged using Chinese drywall. This past August, Judge Kevin J. Carey approved the firm’s reorganization plan, which allowed WCI to emerge from bankruptcy. Included in the plan was the WCI Communities Chinese Drywall Trust, which the builder funded with $900,000. That money was intended to help offset the cost of litigation against insurers and other companies involved in Chinese drywall disaster. The trust assumed all of the company’s drywall liability, as well as its claims against insurance companies. Nearly 700 homeowners may seek recovery through the WCI Trust. » More: Chinese Drywall Trust Files Suit Against Insurance Companies

A Florida lawmaker is pushing the state legislature to act on the Chinese drywall crisis. According to Bradenton.com, Sen. David Aronberg, D-Greenacres, says he is tired of waiting for the state’s governor and the federal government to do something about the Chinese drywall problem that is plaguing thousands of Florida homeowners.

Of the more than 2,700 complaints regarding Chinese drywall made to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), most – 1,615 – have come from Florida. Chinese drywall poured into the U.S. between 1999 and 2007 because of the high demand created by the housing boom. Imports accelerated when the rebuilding that followed Hurricane Charley in Florida in 2004, and Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast in 2005, created a drywall shortage. According to an earlier Wall Street Journal report, some 500 million pounds of Chinese drywall was imported to the U.S. during the housing boom. That means as many as 100,000 homes throughout the country could have been built with the material. » More: Chinese Drywall Bills Introduced in Florida Senate

Medallion Homes, a Bradenton, Florida-based builder, has been added to the list of those firms known to have used Chinese drywall. According to a report on Herald-Tribune.com, Medallion Homes used Chinese drywall manufactured by Knauf Tianjin Plasterboard Ltd. Co. in at least three homes.

Just last month, Knauf was named in a massive class action lawsuit that involves nearly 2100 plaintiffs from Florida, Mississippi and Alabama, and 600 other defendants. That lawsuit, and other Chinese drywall lawsuits pending in federal court, were consolidated in a multidistrict litigation in the Eastern District of Louisiana over the summer. The first bellwether trials in the litigation are slated to begin in January. » More: Chinese Drywall Used in Florida Homes Built by Medallion Homes

In the wake of the Chinese drywall debacle, Florida state lawmakers are considering bills that would impose new standards for wallboard used in construction in the state. Florida has been the hardest hit of the dozens of states impacted by the Chinese drywall scandal.

Of the more than 2,700 complaints regarding Chinese drywall made to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), most – 1,615 – have come from Florida. Gases emitted from Chinese drywall are being blamed for significant property damage, including damage to HVAC systems, smoke detectors, electrical wiring, metal plumbing components, and other household appliances. These gases also produce a sulfurous odor that permeates homes, and cause metals, including air conditioning coils and even jewelry, to corrode. People living with Chinese drywall have also suffered eye, respiratory and sinus problems that may be linked to the gases. » More: Chinese Drywall Mess Has Florida Lawmakers Mulling New Regulations