Friday will mark start of Chinese drywall hearing February 23, 2010

A hearing on experts will take place Friday.  The goal is to determine which experts are qualified to offer quality opinions regarding complex issues implicated by the Chinese drywall at issue.

For months, thousands of homeowners, businesses, insurance companies, and others have been awaiting the start of the multi district litigation taking place in New Orleans – The Eastern District Federal Court.  (Reported from the New Orleans Business News Section of Nola.com)

The Case Name: Germano et al. v. Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd.

Why the Case is Important: This “trial” case is being carefully watched by an array of persons – both human persons and business entities, domestic and foreign.  What is the big deal? The case is expected to provide a threshold estimate of what it costs to repair a home that has been devastated by defective drywall.

The case also represents a bigger problem with regard to a public policy issue facing our nation.  We will save that article for another day, however, for now keep in mind that  the Chinese government owns many of the businesses that produce products imported into the United States; these products have caused numerous injuries in the past – not solely limited to drywall.  (Recall, the toys, cribs, and other defective imports that have headlined recent news articles).

What is the Next Step?: On Friday, February 26, 2010, a hearing will take place to decide on qualified experts.  The opinions that the experts will provide in court will have important influences upon the case, thus the hearing is an important procedural step.

The second “test trial” is expected to start March 15