Initial Federal Chinese drywall trial wraps up; detailed ruling coming soon March 7, 2010

The multi-district litigation, which was held in The Eastern District of Louisiana, has wrapped up.  The purpose of this initial trial was to answer the threshold question on the minds of thousands of homeowners, builders, and officials alike: what is needed to fix Chinese drywall-laden homes?

Homeowners at the trial, including seven from Virginia, expressed how the defective drywall had devastating effects upon their homes, lives, and finances.  Experts including scientists and building engineers acknowledged that it would take expensive and time consuming work to fix a home with Chinese drywall problems.

The Hearld Tribune has reported that Judge Eldon E. Fallon is expected to give a detailed ruling sometime within the next couple of weeks.  The ruling will address issues including  the breadth of remediation.  The decision will have great implications on other affected families and homeowners throughout the country.  Additionally, a monetary judgment will likely ensue in the future against manufacturer Taishan Gypsum.  Taishan did not participate in the proceedings.

One overlooked aspect of the importance of this trial as a whole, may be the nature which Chinese controlled Taishan handled the allegations.  The entity did not participate in the trial.  Chinese consumer products have turned into an American mainstay in the markets.  When those products are defective – or worse – dangerous, it seems that an adequate process of obtaining remedies from China ought to be in well established and ingrained in our “system”.  That issue is a monster of its own, beyond the scope of this article.  Expect articles on that subject in the near future.