Chinese drywall battle in Virginia: After 2 years, more than 170 Hampton Roads homeowners are still fighting the Chinese drywall battle. Since many have sold their homes, lost them to foreclosure or bankruptcy. Many who have sold their homes were only able to receive less than half of what they paid.
Patrick Ryan of Carrollton, VA and Bill Ryan of Hampton, have decided to fix their toxic Chinese drywall home themselves.
A Chinese drywall ruling was made on Thursday, April 8, by U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon in New Orleans, awarding seven Virginia homeowners $2.6 million in damages.
The seven Virginia homeowners were chosen as representatives of homes affected by the toxic Chinese drywall across the country- one Virginia Beach family, two in Newport News, and four in Williamsburg.
On Monday, January 25 2010, a vote was held by the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor. The proposed bill is now headed to the Senate where a full vote is expected to take place.
In Newport News, Virginia, officials have expressed frustration with the lack of options. The Daily Press quoted Madeline McMillan, Newport News council member, as stating “As a municipality, we are limited. We don’t have the funds or a mechanism for the funds to channel to [homeowners in my jurisdiction], so it’s frustrating for me…[m]y heart goes out to them.”
After months of scientific testing, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released the results of its investigation Thursday. The results: federal investigators found higher than normal levels of sulfur and strontium in Chinese drywall samples. As a caveat, the report did not conclusively link the health problems and reported damages that thousands of U.S. homeowners have reported to the agency with the drywall directly. Instead of an outright assertion, the CPSC said additional testing was needed and that a new report should be released at some point in November.
Local homeowners have described problems such as chemical and acidic odors emanating throughout their households and malfunctioning appliances such as air conditioning units and even televisions. As reported, some of the chemicals suspected to be present in the Chinese-made drywall have corrosive tendencies. Residents of other states have even reported that jewelry is developing a black film.
Critical Updates on Defective Drywall in Virginia
- CPSC’s Local Investigations
- Remediation Update for Residents in Dragas Homes
- Update on Court Hearings in State Court Cases
- Update on the Virginia Germano Class Action (Federal)
- Recent Chinese Drywall Discoveries in Virginia
- Statues of the MDL in New Orleans (Federal)
- Upcoming Scientific Testing of Homes in Virginia
Will physicians look for toxic drywall as a cause for patient illness?
Wavy.com takes a sample of Chinese drywall to Old Dominion University of Norfolk, VA to have it tested against US made drywall. Watch the live report here!
