Chinese Drywall Class action
Defective Chinese Drywall in Florida Class Action Lawsuit
Banner Supply, a Miami building supply company, is facing a Chinese drywall class action lawsuit as of this July, after losing a major lawsuit in June. Also named in Chinese drywall class action suits are Knauf Group, the German parent company of KPT; Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin (KPT), a Chinese drywall manufacturer; and Rothchilt International Ltd., a China-based exporter. Due to an extreme shortage of drywall available to building contractors in the period from 2004 to 2006, it was necessary to import drywall. Chinese drywall was imported for construction of new homes in Florida. Roughly 10 million square feet of defective Chinese drywall were used, which amounts to about 8,000 to 10,000 new homes.
Both manufacturers and distributors are being named in this Chinese drywall class action, which is being filed on behalf of plaintiffs Shane M. Allen and Nicole J. Allen, who live in Fort Myers. The drywall class action claims that both homes and health suffered because of the defective Chinese drywall, and that the manufacturers and distributors are responsible.
The Chinese drywall class action states that, allegedly, waste material from Chinese power plants was used to make the drywall. This waste is in the form of ash, and is called fly ash. The material can seep into the home environment and cause health risks including respiratory problems, electrical problems, corrosion of Air Conditioning units, and corrosion of wiring. Fly ash emits harmful sulfur compounds, including sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.
Plaintiffs in this Florida drywall class action seek damages to recover costs of testing for health-related risks of exposure to the defective Chinese drywall, loss of property value, repair and replacement of appliances and even homes. There are also Chinese drywall class action lawsuits in other states as well.
