Chinese Drywall, Eggs and Lawsuits

And as you would expect, the Chinese drywall inspection business is now in full swing. The chum is in the water and the rods are ready so be careful folks. “Inspectors” who will charge you to observe your house for blackened wiring or other corroded metals in order to establish the existence of defective Chinese drywall may find themselves in the cannery.  I would obviously advise you to look for these things and if you need assistance that’s cool too but if you believe you have the bad stuff, contact your builder first and foremost. As the legal dance progresses from the builder to the sub to the supplier to the wholesaler to the manufacturer, your contract was with the builder. They are protected by state and/or federal statutes and permitted the option to remedy complaints before you go making repairs. Thankfully some builders are making good. They are people with families just like you and me so let’s grant them some leeway.

Builders across the country have been affected.  A Virginia builder, The Dragas Companies, has confirmed that some of the homes they built contain Chinese drywall. The company is making bad good and paying to fix homes and helping residents relocate for a few months while the work is being done. Other builders known to have installed the drywall include Lennar, Taylor Morrison, WCI, Trans-eastern, Ryland and Standard Pacific. In January, Lennar sued suppliers/manufacturers for providing it with defective Chinese drywall (this is the legal dance). Lennar, to it’s credit, has done well by at least one family I read about… at no charge, the company will strip out the haz-mat drywall and replace it. “They’re putting us up, all expenses paid, for three to five months while it’s fixed,” the homeowner said.

One family from New Orleans has filed a class action lawsuit against several drywall manufacturers.  According to America’s Watchdog, defective Chinese drywall may have also been used in the Midwest, the Southwest and the Pacific Northwest, including Vancouver, British Columbia and even Hawaii! Past reports by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune indicate that the drywall was not only imported into Florida and Louisiana, but also came in through ports in California, Mississippi, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, Georgia, Washington, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. It was literally imported all over the country. CBS reports an estimated 60,000 homes nationwide (mostly in southern states and California) could be affected. Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, suspects a problem with tainted drywall in his own home and is moving his family out of their home in Fort Myers according to Professional Builder magazine. Heck, even Senator Bill Nelson is getting involved and calling for action.