Homeowners get advice on Chinese drywall
Hundreds of homeowners seeking information on what to do about Chinese drywall that was used in their homes jammed a meeting on the topic at Mandeville's city hall Wednesday night. The forum was arranged by state Sens. Julie Quinn, R-Metairie, and A.G. Crowe, R-Slidell.
Drywall imported from China was used in many south Louisiana homes after Hurricane Katrina created shortages of building materials. But lawsuits have been filed claiming the products emit chemical compounds that cause health problems and damage to pipes; state and federal agencies are investigating. At Wednesday's forum, lawyers signed up clients.
Quinn recommended that homeowners who have Chinese drywall call the attorney general's office to report it because Attorney General Buddy Caldwell is trying to get a count of how many people in the state have been affected. Jeremy Alters, an attorney from Miami, urged people to let the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission know they have Chinese drywall.
Alters advised people not to remove the drywall until a protocol is set up on how to remediate and, for litigation purposes, how to document that a person has Chinese drywall. Alters said New Orleans-based U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon, who is presiding over the national litigation over Chinese drywall, is expected to set up procedures.
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susan jordan at Oct 25th 2009 11:19 AM
I am one of the unfortunate people in Louisiana from Ascension parish who has Chinese drywall in my new home built right after Katrina. My A/C has never worked properly and has had 4 coils replaced. The gases corrode the copper and all of my wiring in my walls. We have also experienced upper respiratory problems. Now WE are trying to take out loans to pay to tear out and replace this harmful defective sheetrock. So my husband and I and my 88 year old mother and my sons are living in an apartment, paying rent, paying on loans to fix this problem, and are running out of money fast. People who have this problem need help! Our life savings are in the house on family land that my great great grandfather homesteaded in the 1800's. We are too old to walk away and would have no money to move elsewhere!