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The deadline for homeowners to join a class-action lawsuit against a manufacturer believed to be a source of defective Chinese drywall is just around the corner.
To participate in the lawsuit against Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co., homeowners must sign up by December 2. In doing so, homeowners must show proof, including a photo or sample that clearly labels the defective drywall.
The class-action case is scheduled in federal court in Louisiana on January 25.
Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin (KPT) is a Chinese subsidiary of a German company which allegedly imported much of the contaminated drywall into the United States between 2004 and 2006.
The defective drywall emits a sulfuric smell which has been linked to health problems and can cause corrosion to copper and other metals.
Problem drywall has been found in 32 states and the District of Columbia, with most cases coming from Florida and Louisiana. Some 4,000 to 7,000 Louisiana homes are believed to contain Chinese drywall and collectively face $3 billion in repairs, according to insurance industry and government estimates.
New Report
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released a new report that finds a ‘strong association’ between the chemicals in Chinese drywall and the corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints made by thousands of homeowners.
This is the second report on the potentially defective building materials. The report also suggests a “possible” association between health problems reported by homeowners and higher-than-normal levels of hydrogen sulfide gas emitted from the wallboard along with formaldehyde, which is commonly found in new homes. The first report was inconclusive and stopped short of linking the drywall to health problems.
While it is too soon to entertain specifics of any financial assistance to homeowners, CPSC said it can now proceed with additional studies to identify effective remediation of the problem and potential assistance from the federal government. #