Chinese Drywall

Town Hall meeting to discuss Chinese drywall matter

Published on: September 9, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

For residents of the Gulf Coast, and Louisiana in particular, groups involved with Chinese drywall litigation and legislation have established and set up a Town Hall Meeting for next week to discuss with homeowners and citizens the developments and actions being taken to combat the problems associated with the faulty wallboard.

Set for next Monday at 6:30 in Mandeville, the meeting will be attended by attorneys, including the Berniard Law Firm’s own Jeffrey Berniard, and experts in the field and issue in order to hopefully assuage concerns and develop ideas and avenues of communication with the community. State Senator Julie Quinn will also be in attendance to field questions regarding the state’s response to the matter.

The full details are as follows:

Areas willing to reassess taxes of those with Chinese drywall

Published on: September 6, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

Florida officials are trying hard to find various ways in which homeowners with faulty imported wallboard can see results and aid while facing their difficult predicaments. The TC Palm recently noted an idea of some area Florida officials in an article posted several days ago:

Martin County Property Appraiser Laurel Kelly agreed having Chinese drywall “would definitely affect the value of property and your taxable value.”

Her department has heard from homeowners in five subdivisions, she said.

Chinese drywall information website

Published on: September 5, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

For recent updates on the pretrial motions involving the Chinese drywall issues, readers can bookmark this site and the court’s updating feed regarding the matter, located here.

Updated regularly, the site features news on motions and issues the court has handled, such as the following

August 20, 2009

Parties meet involving New Orleans MDL for Chinese drywall class action

Published on: September 4, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

Thursday marked the monthly joint report filed by Plaintiff and Defendant in the MDL pre-trial taking place in New Orleans. While little monumental news emerged from the court hearing, various items of note came through that individuals with Chinese drywall, or perhaps just curious readers, may be interested in.

Both parties have agreed to a systematic inspection of properties reported to have Chinese drywall in order to establish a system that may be carried through as the various trials in other jurisdictions is carried out. These property inspections, with plaintiffs handling and paying for initial round of inspections, will be quite helpful to the court and both parties in understanding fully the work that will be required and rules set in place. 30 properties will be chosen for these investigations, carried out by Crawford and Company. This group will carry out inspecting the homes, looking into all of the various known pitfalls of the faulty wallboard’s use closely and to determine if there the presence of Chinese manufactured drywall, the amount thereof, etc. Through these investigations, the inspectors hope to detect any odor, visual damage to collateral parts of properties, record samples and carry out the process of how much damage this product causes. Both counsels may observe.

Those 30 inspections will cover a wide expanse of the country, with cases from states including Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia. Seven cases will be in the state of Louisiana.

Even government officials can have Chinese drywall

Published on: September 3, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

Just this week, Florida Lieutenant Governor filed suit against those responsible for putting Chinese drywall into his home. The warning signs for Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp appear to all be the same that homeowners nationwide have experienced.

The South Florida Business Journal reports

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp has joined hundreds of other Floridians in filing suit over defective Chinese drywall in his home.

Trouble looms for builders who used Chinese drywall

Published on: September 2, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

Recent news from the Wall Street Journal shows the financial report side of Chinese drywall and how insiders have become experts on Chinese drywall in the pursuit of fully understanding the outcomes looming for those unfortunate enough to have used the faulty wallboard. Per the WSJ,

When Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. reports fiscal third-quarter results on Wednesday afternoon, industry watchers will learn the usual details about contracts, cancellations and revenue. But they also want to hear about drywall.

Builders have been disclosing their exposure to allegedly defective drywall — also known as wallboard — imported from China during the housing boom. A growing number of homeowners complain that it generates sulfurous odors and corrosion. These complaints have led to continuing investigations by several government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, and some of their results are expected next month.

Calls for more tax benefits to Chinese drywall victims; levee plan questioned

Published on: August 31, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

A little bit of ‘News in Short’

Miami Herald: more tax benefits for Chinese drywall victims

Scientific tests have shown that toxic China-made drywall installed in homes beginning in 2001 emits harmful gases that corrode copper wiring and other parts of people’s homes. In addition, these gases harm people’s health, making many homes uninhabitable. Homeowners must not be left to shoulder this burden alone…

Brief report relating to Chinese drywall inspection

Published on: August 29, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

One of our clients recently had their home inspected for Chinese drywall and the report was completed this week. For those wondering what a report details, it includes

Interviews of the home’s inhabitants

Visual inspection of copper fixtures, air conditioning, coils, etc. for premature corrosion

News in short: WCI bankruptcy plan approved

Published on: August 28, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

Coming out of bankruptcy court, WCI’s plan for restructuring and settling debt has been approved.

A bankruptcy judge on Wednesday approved a plan of reorganization for luxury home builder WCI Communities Inc (WCIMQ.PK), according to court documents, helping clear the way for the company to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The relevancy of this to homeowners in the Gulf Coast is plain:

Chinese drywall fund in Louisiana not enough?

Published on: August 27, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

Coming out of the news last week are reports that the special fund set aside by Louisiana legislatures may be incredibly inadequate and more money may be necessary.

A Louisiana fund set up to help the victims of defective Chinese drywall may not be adequate, according to a report in The Advocate. Considering the number of affected homes in the state, the $5 million recently set aside by the Louisiana legislature won’t be enough to repair every home with Chinese drywall.

Consumers in 24 states have filed a total of 1046 Chinese drywall complaints with the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC). Gases emitted from the 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, similar to fireworks or rotten eggs, that permeates homes, and cause metals, including air conditioning coils and even jewelry, to corrode.