Defective Chinese Drywall Claims Filed by Homeowners
Defective and toxic drywall in a home is not only inconvenient for a family and financially troubling in regards to a property’s value and repair, but may also impose serious health and safety risks as well. Defective drywall that releases toxins may cause earaches, headaches, itchy skin, bloody noses, upper respiratory infection, and sore throats; however, long-term exposure to faulty drywall is unknown.
A Wall Street Journal report addresses that a Chinese drywall maker is currently working on negotiations with home builders in the United States to settle claims that the company provided them with a defective product. A cascade of lawsuits from homeowners have hit builders, leading those home builders to sue the makers of the drywall as well as other parties to compensate for the costs of replacing the faulty drywall.
Homeowners have complained of experiencing health problems, having their homes contaminated by sulfurous odors and affected by subsequent corrosion of metal pipes and electoral wires. According to the report, the defective drywall (gypsum board) was imported from China from 2004 to 2007 in which over 3,000 reports in 37 different states and other areas have been made relating to the many troubles caused by the drywall.
As several families have been greatly affected by the presence of Chinese drywall in their homes, many product liability lawsuits have been filed. The report mentions that seven families in Virginia received $2.6 million in a court judgment against a Chinese drywall maker with the award averaging to be over $385,000 per homeowner. Another case out of Louisiana awarded $164,000 to a homeowner who will also be given money for damaged property and reimbursement for living expenses and court/attorney fees.
While the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Department of Housing and Urban Development has suggested that consumers take out any drywall that may be defective and replace electrical materials and wiring, some builders are seeking compensation from subcontractors and insurers to cover the expenses of such procedures.
Manufacturing companies of various products, including drywall, have an important responsibility of making sure that their end-product is free of toxic contamination or a kind of defect that would impose injury or illness upon a consumer. This liability extends to adequate testing and toxicology reports being conducted during a product’s creation. Product liability attorneys aggressively work to help consumers hold negligent manufacturers responsible for injuries brought about by defective products.
