Closing arguments were heard Friday in an important Chinese drywall trial underway in federal court in New Orleans. It will now be up to U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon to determine how much a Chinese drywall manufacturer should have to pay to remediate the home of a Mandeville, Louisiana family that was built with 180 pieces of Chinese drywall.

More than 2,000 families have claims pending in the Chinese drywall multidistrict litigation before Judge Fallon. Since late 2008, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has received about 3,000 reports from residents in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico regarding defective Chinese drywall. » Read more: Closing Arguments Made in Chinese Drywall Trial

Several lawmakers have asked the federal government to declare Chinese drywall a fire hazard. In separate letters to U.S. Fire Administrator Kevin Cochran, U.S. Congressman Charlie Melancon and Senator Mary Landrieu, both Louisiana Democrats, noted that the corrosion of electrical wiring caused by Chinese drywall fumes poses such a hazard. Landrieu’s letter was signed by five other Senators.

Since late 2008, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has received about 3,000 reports from residents in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico regarding defective Chinese drywall. 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. » Read more: Lawmakers Seek Chinese Drywall Fire Hazard Declaration

Chinese drywall has made the dream of home ownership a nightmare for one Louisiana family. That’s what the judge overseeing the first contested Chinese drywall trial in a New Orleans federal court was told yesterday during opening statements by the plaintiffs’ attorney. The case is intended as a bellwether, or test trail, to help determine property damage issues in other cases against manufacturers.

More than 2,000 families have claims pending in the Chinese drywall multidistrict litigation before U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon. Since late 2008, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has received about 3,000 reports from residents in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico regarding defective Chinese drywall. 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. » Read more: Judge Hears Opening Statements in Chinese Drywall Test Case

Federal emergency officials have rejected Florida’s request for aid for the victims of defective Chinese drywall. According to HeraldTribune.com, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have determined that the Chinese drywall crisis “does not constitute an emergency or major disaster incident.”

Since late 2008, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has received about 3,000 reports from residents in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico regarding defective Chinese drywall. The bulk of those reports – 1,759 – have come from Florida. » Read more: FEMA Rejects Florida’s Request for Chinese Drywall Help

Federal safety regulators are seeking information on fires that might be related to defective Chinese drywall. The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has asked fire safety professionals nationwide to alert it of any fires that could be related to the tainted wallboard.

Since late 2008, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has received about 3,000 reports from residents in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico regarding defective Chinese drywall. 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. » Read more: CPSC Seeking Info on Chinese Drywall Fires

Could Chinese drywall be killing people? Well, it seems that nine people living in homes with Chinese drywall have died from various ailments, and now several lawmaker are demanding answers.

According to a report in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) said death reports were among the Chinese drywall complaints it has received, however it has not found direct scientific evidence to support a link between the deaths and the drywall. The death reports were first uncovered by the Scripps Howard News Service, which filed a freedom of information request to get copies of 2,700 drywall complaints filed with the agency, the Times-Picayune said. » Read more: Chinese Drywall Health Concerns Mount Over Death Reports

Some Virginia homeowners who are plaintiffs in the first federal Chinese drywall trial gave testimony yesterday about the toll the disaster has taken on their lives. According to a report in the Associated Press, their testimony at times became emotional.

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. » Read more: Chinese Drywall Homeowners Testify in New Orleans

Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Ltd. Co has dropped out of the first Chinese drywall trial currently underway in New Orleans. Knauf was not actually a defendant in the lawsuit being heard, but had volunteered to be the intervening manufacturer on behalf of Chinese-government-owned Taishan Gypsum Co. Taishan has been a no show at proceedings, and has not responded to any Chinese drywall lawsuits.

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. » Read more: Knauf Plasterboard Bows Out of First Chinese Drywall Trial

The first Chinese drywall trial will finally open today in a New Orleans federal courtroom. The case involves seven Virginia plaintiffs whose homes have drywall manufactured by China-based Taishan Gypsum Co.

Since late 2008, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has received about 2,833 reports from residents in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico regarding defective Chinese drywall. 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. » Read more: First Federal Chinese Drywall Trial Set to Start

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. » Read 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. » Read 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. » Read 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. » Read 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. » Read 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. » Read 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. » Read 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. » Read 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. » Read 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. » Read more: Chinese Drywall Mess Has Florida Lawmakers Mulling New Regulations