Insurance Dispute Lawyer Blog

A very good front-page piece came out in today’s Times-Picayune summarizing the difficulties faced by homeowners in Louisiana in regards to suing for the installation of Chinese drywall put in their homes. Featuring a timeline of the various tort reforms enacted over the years in Louisiana, the piece will give those not in the know about the legislative enactments over the year an idea of what processes could have been available and just how much those doors have been closed.

The feature, available online and, again, in today’s paper, recounts

Back in 1996, the Louisiana Legislature passed one of the nation’s most aggressive tort reform acts to fulfill a campaign promise of then-newly elected Gov. Mike Foster to improve Louisiana’s business climate.

Good news emerged yesterday for residents of Louisiana with Chinese drywall. The State Tax Commission is allowing those slammed with the plight of owning homes with the defective wallboard to have their assessments reduced to reflect their degraded value. While some had worried before that the property tax assessments would be based on what the homes should be worth, the state is offering reprieve that could mean thousands of dollars in savings for people who truly need it in the wake of this imported problem.

WWL reports

“These people are going to have to disclose to a new purchaser even if it’s fixed,” said St. Tammany Assessor Patricia Core. “Even if the drywall is completely replaced, this home had Chinese drywall, and it’s going to be very difficult for them to sell their house even after it’s repaired.”

Visiting Cape Coral, Florida, to see firsthand the Chinese drywall that has caused so much problems for residents of the Gulf Coast, Consumer Product Safety Commission Inez Tennenbaum had some positive things to share and an optimistic approach for governmental action in the future.

NBC 2 in Florida reports

Tennenbaum wants to see homeowners like Pat and Richard Kampf finally get the help they need.

What’s often overlooked in the Chinese drywall matter is regardless on liability, many builders have been caught off-guard and hit hard by the faulty wallboard issue, even when homes they produced do not have the material. With an understandably cautious home-buyer base in the Gulf Coast, some builders are reaching a breaking point with their business, and patience.

One builder in Florida explained his, and many other builders’, plight

“The stigma that’s been attached to us as a builder because people know we have two homes that were built with Chinese drywall … it’s just a nightmare,” Harvey said.

A quick news bit from WWLTV regarding a very positive sign coming out of Habitat for Humanity in regards to drywall they used to build homes in the wake of Hurricane Katrina:

“When we started hearing stories break in Florida about Chinese drywall, we had our drywall tested proactively, just out of an abundance of caution,” said Aleis Tusa, a spokesperson with the New Orleans-area Habitat for Humanity.

Eyewitness News obtained a copy of a report released by Columbia Analytical Services, a testing lab in Simi Valley, California. Back in March, the lab conducted tests on multiple samples of Habitat for Humanity’s drywall. The lab checked for a myriad of compounds and chemicals, including sulfurs, which are a major concern with Chinese drywall. All of the results came back as “ND”– meaning, “Not Detected.”

State senators held court Wednesday while hosting Chinese drywall town hall meetings aimed at addressing concerns of members of the community regarding the toxic import. Dedicated to providing information to those with the faulty wallboard, or those who think they might have it, the town hall meetings were hugely popular, requiring the originally scheduled solo meeting to be turned into two. WVUE of New Orleans reports that the crowds were packed with individuals looking for answers at a time where nothing on this Chinese drywall matter seems certain.

They report

State Senators A.G. Crowe (R-Slidell) and Julie Quinn (R-Metairie) ended up hosting two town hall meetings due to larger, unexpected crowds.

The second part of our series of Chinese drywall pictures features close-ups of what the corrosion looks like of piping and fixtures throughout a home that had the problematic material installed.

Here you can see just how intricate and flawed the pipes can become as a result of an attic in which the drywall was installed. Note the corrosion and dramatic color-changes of a pipe originally just copper.

A close-up of the same pipe.

The Times-Picayune reports that the Chinese drywall meeting has been moved to tomorrow. At this meeting, Louisiana state senators will be available to answer questions regarding the faulty wallboard imported into the US and installed into in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Central to the meeting will be what homeowners can do to better their situation, find out about how to handle their homes if they have the problematic Chinese drywall, and have the state legislators explain the government’s approach to helping with the issue.

State senators Julie Quinn and A.G. Crowe will host a meeting for citizens concerns about Chinese drywall Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Mandeville City Hall.

Some drywall imported from China after Hurricane Katrina is believed to be making people sick and corroding metal fixtures in people’s homes.

The Berniard Law Firm was recently hired by a homeowner who fell into the unfortunate situation of having Chinese drywall installed in her home. As part of the case, an inspection crew was sent to the home to document all of the various problems, defects and elements of concern to be found. You might be surprised to see just how quickly and aggressively this faulty imported wallboard can cause damage to various parts of the home.

Here you can see, clearly defined on the back of the drywall, the word “China,” indicating the place of manufactured origin.

Here you can see the damage that the dangerous vapors Chinese drywall emits can cause on heating and cooling piping, as well as copper plumbing throughout an attic or basement, as well as within your home’s walls.